Quinoa-Rice Pongal

Enjoy the Quinoa pongal with chutney or sambar!
We want to get maximum benefit out of the food we eat. Pongal is one of my family's favorite dishes, but the high carbohydrate in rice makes us think twice before eating. Here's a recipe that can make pongal to your favorite list again. We are not totally avoiding rice and at the same time we are including protein and fiber rich quinoa. The taste is slightly different from rice pongal, but if you are used to eating quinoa then the rice-quinoa combo is a good option to try. I am sure you will like the taste too.

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 10 min
Serving size: 4
Rice and Quinoa

Ingredients
  • Raw Rice - 3/4 cup(I use long grain rice)
  • Quinoa - 3/4 cup
  • Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
  • Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
  • Black Pepper corns - 1/4 tsp
  • Crushed Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
  • Ginger - 3 inch piece(or size of your forefinger)
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Cashews - 1 fistful
  • Oil - 2 tsp
  • Ghee - Per your need (Recommend 1 tsp while serving pongal)
  • Milk - 1/4 cup
    Spices and dal needed







Preparation
  1. Wash the quinoa, rice and dal. Soak it in water while you are doing other preparations.
  2. Mince or grate the ginger.
  3. If you don't have already, crush the black pepper. I add crushed pepper because my kids tend to throw away the whole pepper corns when eating the pongal.
Cooking

Pressure cook for 3 whistles after seasoning

  1. In a pressure cooker (big enough to hold 2 cups of rice and dal), warm 2 tsp of oil on low-medium heat.
  2. Do the seasoning by adding cumin seeds, pepper, curry leaves and minced/grated ginger. 
  3. Saute for 15 seconds. Add the cashews and saute for another 15 seconds.
  4. Now add the soaked quinoa, dal and rice.
  5. Saute for another 10 seconds.
  6. Add 3 1/2 cups of water, required amount of salt, 1/4 cup of milk and cook for 3 whistles on medium heat.
    7. Pressure cooked Qunioa-Rice Pongal
  7. Mix the cooked pongal, serve hot with a spoon of ghee and chutney of your choice.

Serve with a spoon of ghee and chutney of choice
Nutritional facts

Quinoa is highly rich in protein and fiber.  The protein in quinoa has 9 essential amino acids which gives good stamina to the body. The moong dal is also rich in protein and fiber and has low fat. Since moong dal is easily digested it is considered good for pregnant and lactating women and also for young kids. Raw rice covers the carbohydrate content good for a meal. Ginger aids digestion and improves metabolism of the body. Black pepper aids in removing toxins from the body. Curry leaves are good blood purifiers. Ghee is good for nerve, skin, eye and brain health, and also a good lubricant for the joints.

You may also be interested in the following recipes:

Healthy Cracked Wheat Pongal

Masala Oats - Healthy and Tasty Breakfast 

Instant Rava Oats Idli

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