Millet Pongal (Thinai Pongal)

This savory foxtail millet Pongal is a delicious breakfast option and can also be a great lunch or dinner.

Pongal is a South Indian dish that is similar to moong dal khichdi. It’s simple, full of flavor, light on the stomach, and easy to prepare.

Different types of pongals are prepared on the occasion of Pongal, a harvest festival in Tamil Nadu. If you have never tried pongal, be sure to try my Ven Pongal and Sweet Pongal recipes.

If you are new to the South Indian Pongal, it is very similar to Khichdi in North India. Just a little variation in the tempering used, such as the addition of curry leaves and cashews.

I have been on a mission to include nutritious grains, such as millet, sorghum, and buckwheat, into our diet. This recipe for Millet Pongal is a great one to start with if you are new to millet. I have also shared my millet upma recipe that you can try.

I used Foxtail Millets (also called Kangni in India) to make this pongal. But you can also use other millets.

What Are Millets?

Millet is a cereal grain in the Poaceae family, also known as the grass family. It is widely consumed in Africa and Asia’s developing countries.

While it may appear to be a seed, millet has a nutritional profile similar to sorghum and other cereals.

Millet has grown in popularity in the West due to its gluten-free status and high protein, fiber, and antioxidant content.

What Is Foxtail Millet?

Foxtail millet, scientifically known as Setaria italica is an annual crop grown in arid and semi-arid regions. Historians believe that this gluten-free cereal cultivation dates back 8000 years and that it was widely grown along the Yellow River in China.

The seeds of foxtail millets are small, oval, or elliptical in shape. They are yellow in color. They look similar to yellow mustard seeds. The seed head of this plant resembles a fox’s bushy tail, hence the name Foxtail Millet.

Foxtail millets are also known as Italian millets, but there are different names for it in different Indian languages.

• Hindi/ Punjabi- Kangni
• Tamil – Thinai
• Telugu- Korralu
• Kannada – Navanakki
• Bengali – Kaon dana

Fiber, protein, zinc, and magnesium are all abundant in foxtail millet. It also contains a reasonable amount of iron and calcium.

Millet: I used foxtail millet for this recipe, but you can also use little millet, proso, or kodo millet to make this pongal.

Yellow Moong Dal: Use dehusked, split yellow moong dal.

Spices: For this recipe, you need just a few spices – whole black peppercorns, cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), and salt. You can use crushed black pepper if you don’t want whole black pepper while eating.

Ghee: Adding a generous amount of ghee gives the flavor and aroma of this dish. However, if you are vegan, replace it with a plant-based oil of your choice.

Herbs/ aromatics: ginger, curry leaves, or green chilies. They add lots of flavor to the dish and make it delicious.

Cashew nuts: I like to use cashew nuts. If there are any allergies, you can skip it.

Instant Pot Method

Switch on the saute mode on your Instant Pot and add the moong dal to it. Roast it until nice and fragrant for a couple of minutes. This is optional, but it adds to the flavor. Remove it.

Add the moong dal and millet to a bowl or strainer and wash them well.

Now to the main steps to cook the millet pongal.

• Start the instant pot in sauté mode and heat the ghee in it. Add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, asafoetida, curry leaves, and cashews.
• Saute till the cashews are lightly roasted. Take out half of the tempering and reserve it for later. Add green chili and ginger.
• Add water and salt. Close the lid with the vent in the sealing position.
• Change the instant pot setting to rice mode, which defaults to low-pressure cooking for 12 minutes.
• Open the instant pot, and the pongal is ready. Give it a good mix. Pour the tempering on top and serve.