Paal Pongal is made for Pongal festival or Makar Sankaranti along with Sweet Pongal or Sakkarai Pongal with the first harvested rice of the year. Paal Pongal is offered to Sun God and traditionally cooked in open space facing sun in mud or brass pots. Learn to make Paal Pongal with step by step pictures and video.
Paal Pongal is a rich, creamy delicious pongal made by cooking rice, moong dal in milk and water. Usually we make sweet pongal and milk pongal for Pongal festival. My family loves sweet pongal more including me however hubby is a big fan of this simple white pongal or paal pongal as we call it.
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About Paal Pongal
Paal Pongal or Vellai Pongal is simple where but raw rice, moong dal is cooked in milk and garnished with ghee. This pongal has just the milk flavor and a slight hint of ghee, tastes so good with pongal kuzhambu.
We usually make paal pongal this way – the traditional making in brass pot as we do every year. I love sakkarai pongal more but this paal pongal with pongal kuzhambu tastes so good. I learnt this method of vellai pongal with variations from my friend so thought to post it with video.
Traditionally rice and dal is cooked in milk no other flavoring is added but if you want you can add ghee fried cashews, ghee. We serve it along with pongal kuzhambu so the taste is balanced when had with it.
This pongal is called by different names like milk pongal, paal pongal or vellai pongal. Vellai in tamil means white so it translates to white pongal. Creamy, rich paal pongal can be made easily following the measurements and steps here, do try and enjoy!
Paal Pongal Video
Paal Pongal Ingredients
- Rice – Use raw rice. At stores it is available as Pongal Raw Rice / Pongal Pacharisi. This is used traditionally so do not replace it with any other rice variety.
- Moong dal – Always use split yellow moong dal for taste and flavor.
- Milk – Make sure to use boiled, cooled milk preferably full cream milk.
- Ghee – Ghee adds a great flavor to this dish.
Paal Pongal – 2 ways
I have shared 2 ways of making paal pongal:
- Traditional pot method – Traditionally paal pongal is made in a bronze pot but takes time and effort to cook in it.
- Pressure cooker method – For ease and convenience you can choose pressure cooker method to cook paal pongal.
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How to make Paal Pongal Step by Step
1.First rinse 1 cup raw rice rice, 2 tablespoon moong dal, drain water and keep it ready.
2.To a brass pot add 1/2 cup milk.
3.Then add 6 cups water.
4.Let it boil.
5.Let it boil, keep in medium high. Let it overflow. Pongalo pongal!
6.Now add rice and dal.
7.Mix well and cook in medium flame, keep stirring.
8.Rice is almost cooked now.
9.Now add remaining 1 cup milk and required salt.
10.Cook until its thick and creamy.Keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.
11.Finally add 2 tablespoon ghee mix well and switch off.
12.While serving make a dent in the center add ghee in it and Serve.
Serve hot or warm!
Paal Pongal in Cooker
Milk pongal or paal pongal is traditionally made in brass pot but for ease and convenience you can make it in pressure cooker too. Also this recipe is for all those who asked me to post an easy version of milk pongal.
- First roast moong dal and keep aside. Rinse rice and add it along with moong dal in a pressure cooker. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup water. Make sure your pressure cooker is big enough the water milk and rice mixture should just be to 1/4th of the cooker so that it will not overflow.
- Pressure cook it for 4 whistles until soft. Mash it well with a laddle and add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and mix well.Allow it to boil for 3mins until its thick.Add required salt.
- Add coconut, ghee and give a quick stir.Add the ghee fried cashews and switch it off.
Milk pongal in cooker is ready!
Delicious creamy milk pongal ready!
Expert Tips
- Any vegetable gravy will get along with this very well, so when combined and had, no salt is required!
- It thickens with time so add hot milk while serving time if its too thick.
- You can add a pinch of palm jaggery for flavor.
- Add full cream milk for rich and creamy pongal.
- You can add a dollop of butter for extra flavor at the final stage.
Serving & Storage
You can serve with ghee or butter along with pongal kuzhambu, Tastes best when served hot! It can be stored in fridge for 2 days but I would not recommend to leave in room temperature. As milk is added it may get spoiled.
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📖 Recipe Card
Paal Pongal Recipe | Milk Pongal Recipe
Ingredients
Paal Pongal in pot
- 1 cup raw rice
- 2 tablespoon moong dal optional
- 6 cups water
- 1 + 1/2 cup milk
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon ghee plus 2 tablespoon for serving
Paal pongal in Cooker
- 1/2 cup raw rice
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon moong dal
- 1 cups milk
- 2 tablespoon coconut
- few ghee fried cashews
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Paal pongal in pot
- First rinse 1 cup raw rice rice, 2 tablespoon moong dal, drain water and keep it ready.
- To a brass pot add 1/2 cup milk.
- Then add 6 cups water.
- Let it boil.
- Let it boil, keep in medium high. Let it overflow. Pongalo pongal!
- Now add rice and dal.
- Mix well and cook in medium flame,keep stirring.
- Rice is almost cooked now.
- Now add remaining 1 cup milk and required salt.
- Cook until its thick and creamy.Keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.
- Finally add 2 tablespoon ghee mix well and switch off.
- While serving make a dent in the center add ghee in it and Serve.
- Serve hot or warm!
Paal pongal in cooker
- First roast moong dhal and keep aside.Rinse rice and add it along with moong dal in a pressure cooker. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup water.Make sure your pressure cooker is big enough the water milk and rice mixture should just be to 1/4th of the cooker so that it will not overflow.
- Pressure cook it for 4 whistles until soft. Mash it well with a laddle and add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and mix well.Allow it to boil for 3mins until its thick.Add required salt.
- Add coconut, ghee and give a quick stir.Add the ghee fried cashews and switch it off.
Video
Notes
- Any vegetable gravy will get along with this very well, so when combined and had, no salt is required!
- It thickens with time so add hot milk while serving time if its too thick.
- You can add a pinch of palm jaggery for flavor.
- Add full cream milk for rich and creamy pongal.
- You can add a dollop of butter for extra flavor at the final stage.
Kumuthini Vinoth Kumar
PLease tell me, which brand cane sugar you are using. Is it jaggery powder.
Sharmilee J
I buy from a neighbor here but you can check out any store near u