VARAGU ARISI PONGAL RECIPE/KODO MILLET PONGAL-MILLET RECIPES

Recently I started making upma & pongal varieties using millets. I tried Ven pongal using Varagu arisi( Kodo millet in English, Koden/Kodra in Hindi, Harka in Kannada, Arikelu in Telugu, Koovaragu in Malayalam- Source-Wikipedia) for the first time. It came out very well.

As you all know Varagu rice/Kodo millet has amazing health benefits. It is basically a digestion friendly millet. It is rich in phytochemicals, Phytate that helps in reduction of cancer risks. It helps to reduce the body weight which is most needed for obese people. It helps to overcome irregular period problems in women. It helps to reduce knee & joint pains. It is good for diabetic people. It reduces nervous disorders especially in eyes.

This varagu arisi pongal is a very easy and tummy filling breakfast recipe. Just 1/2 cup of varagu arisi is enough to serve 2-3 people because it doubles in quantity once its cooked. It tastes very similar to our regular rice pongal with full of flavors. My daughter Raksha loves pongal a lot. When I gave this for her breakfast today, she couldn’t identify its varagu rice pongal and not our usual one. We had with coconut chutney as side dish. It was yum. Do try this easy and healthy pongal recipe for your breakfast or dinner. I am sure your entire family would love it.

check out my other millet recipes here.

Varagu arisi pongal/Kodo millet pongal recipe

Varagu arisi pongal/Kodo millet pongal recipe Varagu arisi pongal recipe – Healthy millet recipe for breakfast !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Breakfast

Serves: 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Varagu arisi/Kodo millet – 1/2 cup
Moong dal – 2 tbsp
Water – 2 to 2.5 cups
Salt – as needed

To temper

Ghee – 1 tbsp
Pepper corns – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera – 1/2 tsp
Hing/Asafetida – a small pinch
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece ( finely chopped)
Green chillies – 1 no ( small sized)
Curry leaves – few

HOW TO MAKE VARAGU PONGAL – METHOD

Wash the kodo millet ,drain and set aside. In a pressure cooker base, heat ghee and add the moong dal,pepper corns.Saute for a minute in low flame. Make sure the color of dal should not change. Then add the cumin seeds/jeera and saute till it turns light golden. Lastly add the curry leaves, green chillies & hing. Stir it. Add the measured water and required salt.

Add the washed & drained millet and ginger pieces. Close the cooker and cook for one whistle in low flame.It will take nearly 10-12 minutes.

Remove the lid and mix well. Add a tsp of ghee and serve hot !Tastes the best with coconut chutney !

Enjoy !

Note

Serve this pongal when its hot to enjoy its best taste. When it cools down, it will become slightly hard.You can reheat the pongal while serving by adding little water and mix well in high flame for few seconds.
You can follow the same method and make pongal with thinai & samai too. But the quantity of water may slighty vary.
Here I used 1: 5 ratio of millet and water. You can use 1:4 too.
Replace ghee with cooking oil if u are calorie conscious. But ghee gives a great flavor.
Add a tsp of ghee while serving for kids.

Serve this healthy,easy varagu pongal with chutney and sambar. Tastes yummy !