← All Breakfasts · Recipe finder
Foxtail Millet and Moong Pongal
Tamil Nadu's comforting ven pongal, made with foxtail millet instead of rice and an equal weight of moong dal, seasoned with black pepper, cumin and ghee.
- Region
- Tamil Nadu
- Status
- Adaptation — ven pongal with foxtail millet in place of rice
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min · Total 30 min
- Serves
- 2 (about 300 g each)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Breakfast, light dinner
- Tags
- Good source · Quick · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · No added sugar · Meal-prep friendly
- Allergens
- Milk (ghee), tree nuts (cashew)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 305 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Headline values are per serving, as written.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per serving | 305 | 14 g | 41 g | 9 g | 4 g | 6 g | 1 g | 4.5 g |
Good source · 4.5 g per 100 kcal. IFCT 2017 has no foxtail-millet entry; values from NIN's earlier Nutritive Value of Indian Foods. With 150 g curd: 395 kcal, 19 g protein. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 70 g foxtail millet · 70 g yellow moong dal
- 600 ml water · 3 g salt
- 10 g ghee (2 tsp) · 1 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed · 1 tsp cumin seeds · 1 tsp grated ginger · 10 curry leaves · pinch of hing · 10 g cashews
- Serving: coconut chutney or 150 g curd per person
Method
- Dry-roast moong dal on medium-low for 3–4 minutes until it smells nutty and turns a shade darker.
- Rinse the dal and millet together. Soak 15 minutes (optional; it gives a softer pongal).
- Pressure-cook with 600 ml water and salt for 4 whistles. Let pressure release naturally.
- Mash lightly with a ladle until creamy. Add up to 100 ml hot water if it is too thick — pongal should be soft and spoonable.
- Heat ghee in a small pan. Fry cashews until golden; add pepper, cumin, ginger, curry leaves and hing for 30 seconds.
- Pour the tempering over the pongal and stir. Serve hot.
Protein optimisation
- Moong dal supplies 8.5 g per serving, foxtail millet 4 g, cashews 1 g.
- Boost: serve with 150 g curd as above, or with sambar made with 30 g toor dal per serving (+6.5 g protein, +110 kcal).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: temple-style — add 5 g more ghee and a pinch of crushed pepper on top (adds 45 kcal and 3 g saturated fat).
- Substitution: little millet (samai) or rice in place of foxtail millet.
- Storage: 2 days refrigerated; reheat with hot water.
- Food safety: cool within 1 hour and refrigerate; reheat until steaming.
- Meal prep: good.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com