Oats pongal Recipe
I enjoy oats once in a while for breakfast or dinner, since it is packed with fibre and nutrients which keeps me fuller longer. The recipe for making oats pongal is easy and can be made under 30 minutes from start to finish and definitely healthy and lighter than ven pongal. This is an awesome dish which is made with a mixture of dal and oats which it makes it even more healthier. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, any way it is good. I served it with tomato chutney and it tasted so good.
About Oats Pongal
Pongal is one of the popular breakfast dish from South India. Traditional pongal is made with raw rice, moong dal, cashews, black pepper, cumin seeds, chillies, curry leaves and lots of ghee. Pongal is similar to khichdi but it has more South Indian spices. Even though ven pongal, sweet pongal is the most authentic versions of this humble dish. There are many versions you can make with moong dal and spices like my rava pongal, poha pongal & millet pongal. This pongal is a great way to include oats in your diet. Making pongal with oats is healthy and flavour packed. You can enjoy oats pongal on its own or with any chutney of your choice. It taste great with sambar as well.
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Watch Oats Pongal Recipe Video
Oats Pongal Ingredients
Oats - I used instant or quick cooking oats in this recipe. But you can use rolled oats which provides better texture and taste. Make sure you dry roast oats for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Moong Dal - Split yellow moong dal is preferred. It is important to dry roast moong dal for flavourful taste. Moong dal cooks in 15 minutes once it is dry roasted. Ghee - I used 1 to 2 tbsp of ghee for flavour. If you are making this for kids, you can add generous amount of ghee in your pongal. More ghee is more taste. Ginger, Chilli, Curry leaves - like all pongal, these three are the main flavourings. Make sure to chop them fine before sautéing. Whole Spices - as far as the spices, I always use cumin seeds, asafoetida and whole black pepper. Optional - ingredients like onions, peanuts, cashews, turmeric powder, add flavour and colour to the pongal.
Which Oats is Best for Making Pongal
There are wide variety of oats available in the market. Some of the most popular ones are rolled oats (old fashioned oats), quick oats (instant oats) and steel cut oats. For making pongal it is recommended to use quick oats or rolled oats. I prefer using rolled oats or quick cooking oats in my pongal. Rolled oats is much healthier but and it takes more time to cook than regular quick cooking oats. If you prefer to use steel cut oats, you have to cook it in a pressure cooker. I have shared the recipe for steel cut oats pongal in the variations.
How to Make Oats Pongal in 5 Easy Steps
Roasting Dal & Oats - Dry roast oats for 2 to 3 minutes till toasted and aromatic. Remove to a plate and set aside. Dry roast moong dal in the same pan till aromatic. Cooking Dal - Now cover moong dal with 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 mins until the dal is cooked. At this point the water must be dried in the dal as well. Cooking Dal & Oats - Once dal is cooked, add in 4 cups of boiling water, season with salt, turmeric powder and mix well. Once it starts to boil again, add in the roasted oats and mix well. It will start to thicken. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until oats cooked. Now turn off the heat. Tempering - Heat ghee in a separate pan and add peanuts, pepper, cumin, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and let them sizzle and get golden. Oats Pongal - Pour this over the oats pongal and mix well. Serve with any chutney.
How to Make Oats Pongal (Stepwise Pictures)
Roasting Oats & Moong Dal
1)Dry roast oats for 2 to 3 minutes till toasted and aromatic. Remove to a plate and set aside. 2)Dry roast moong dal in the same pan till aromatic. It will take around 2 to 3 minutes. The dal will change slight golden in colour. 3)Rinse the dal in multiple changes of water. Once the dal is rinsed, bring it back to the stove.
Cooking Dal
4)Now add 2 cups of water into the moong dal. This water is to cook the dal. We will be adding more water later for cooking oats. 5)Cover and simmer for 15 mins until the dal is cooked. 6)Now the dal is cooked, At this point the water must be dried in the dal as well.
Cooking Oats
7)Once dal is cooked, add in 4 cups of boiling water. Add in turmeric powder into the water. For every 1 cup of instant oats you have to add 2 cups of water. 8)season with salt, and mix well. 9) Once it starts to boil again, add in the roasted oats and mix well. It will start to thicken. 10)Mix well and cook till thickened. 10)Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until oats cooked. Now turn off the heat. 11)Now turn off the heat. Oats pongal has thickened and cooked.
Tempering for Oats Pongal
12)Heat ghee in a pan. 13)Add in peanuts and fry till golden brown. 14)Add in pepper, cumin, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and let them sizzle and get golden. 15)Fry the ingredients till golden.
Making Oats Pongal
16)Pour this over the oats pongal and mix well. 17)Mix the tempering into the pongal and mix well. 18)Serve with any chutney.
Variations
Steel Cut Oats Pongal
1)Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add in 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds and 1 tsp crushed black pepper. Saute for 30seconds. Now add in ¼ cup moong dal and roast for 2 minutes. Now add in 1 cup of steel cut oats and toast for 2 to 3 minutes till aromatic 2)Now add in 2 ½ cup to 3 cups of water depending on the consistency you prefer. Season with salt. Bring this to a full boil. 3)Cover and pressure cook for 3 whistle. Now let the pressure release by itself. Open the cooker and give a good mix. 4)Now make tempering. Heat ghee, add in cumin seeds, pepper, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and let them sizzle. Pour this over the pongal and mix well. 5)Serve steel cut oats pongal with sambar or chutney.
Pongal with Onion Tempering
In this version, I added cashews, raisins, onions, lentils in the tempering which elevated this dish to a different level. Even though it is not traditional to make this kind of tempering for pongal, it adds super flavour which I love.
Ingredients Used for Tempering
Ghee -2 tblspn Onion- 1 chopped finely Green Chilli -1 sliced Ginger – 1 tblspn minced Mustard Seeds – 1tsp Split Urad Dal -1 tsp Split Channa Dal -1 tsp Whole pepper -1 tsp Cumin Seeds -1 tsp Cashews -1 tblspn Sultanas -1 tblspn
1)Make pongal as mentioned above. For Tempering, heat ghee and add all the ingredients in ghee and fry till golden brown. 2)Add cooked oats pongal into the tempering and mix well. 3)Serve.
Expert Tips
Dry roasting moong dal and oats is important for the flavour and aroma. It adds a nutty aroma and also removes the gooey texture from oats. Be generous with the ghee for flavour. You can use rolled oats instead of instant oats. Dry roasted oats can be cooled and stored in a container for easy access. You can add more water, if pongal looks dry. Coconut milk can be used along with water while cooking pongal for rich taste.
Serving & Storage
Leftover oats pongal can be stored in fridge for upto 2 to 3 days. It may get thick as it sits in the fridge. But once it is heated in microwave or stove top it gets soft again. You may need to add ¼ cup of water to adjust the consistency of the pongal when heating. Serve oats pongal hot with peanut chutney, coconut chutney, tomato chutney, onion tomato gojju and sambar.
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