Wish you all a very Happy Pongal.
Hope you all had a great Pongal celebration.
Pongal is a four-days-long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Pongal and one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning "to boil" and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric are harvested. The first day is celebrated as Bhogi festival in honour of Lord Indra, on the second day of Pongal, the puja or act of ceremonial worship is performed when rice is boiled in milk outdoors in an earthenware pot and is then symbolically offered to the sun-god along with other oblations.The third day is known as Mattu Pongal, the day of Pongal for cows and the Fourth day are known as Knau or Kannum Pongal day. To know more click here.
In our family we celebrates this pongal festival in very grand manner, many of my relatives will gather at our place and the place will be filled with happiness. My grand mom use to cook this paal pongal , charakkara pongal and pongal pulusu in clay pots which is a traditional way and being in singapore i wouldn't be able to cook tradtionally, however i use the same recipe to make this pongal.
Chakkara Pongal
Ingredients:
Raw Rice – 1cup
Grated Jaggery – 1cup
Milk – 6cup
Water – 1cup
Cardamom powder a pinch
Cashews few
Raisins few
Ghee – 3 tbsp
Method:
- Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.
- In a heavy bottom vessel add milk and water and allow to over flowing few drops.
- Now add the soaked rice and stir occasionally to avoid sticking at the bottom of the vessel.
- Cook the rice till it gets cooked and mushy.
- After the rice get cooked well add the grated jaggery, cardamom powder and mix well till the jaggery get dissolved and thicken.
- Finally garnish with fried cashews and raisins.
Paal Pongal
Ingredients:
Raw rice – 1cup
Milk – 6 cup
Water – 1cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Ghee – 1tbsp
Method:
- Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.
- In a heavy bottom vessel add milk and water and allow to over flowing few drops.
- Now add the soaked rice and stir occasionally to avoid sticking at the bottom of the vessel.
- Cook the rice till it gets cooked and mushy.
- Once the rice gets cooked well, add salt and mix to combine well.
- Finally add ghee and serve hot.
Pongal Pulusu/ Kuzhambu
It is one of the best side dish especially for paal pongal, with various vegetables and lentils which is equally tastes good with all its tangy, sweetness and spicy.One of the best part in this sambar is prepared without adding any toor dhal and the tastes excellent and no comprise at all.
Ingredients:
Vegetables chopped – 1cup (I used Pumpkin, sweet potato, broad beans)
Lentils – 1/2 cup (raw peanuts, channa and field beans)
Tomato – 1small
Green chillies – 2
Tamarind pulp –21tbsp
Jaggery – 1tbsp
Sambar powder – 2tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4tsp
Hing - 1/4tsp
Salt to taste
Rice flour – 2tbsp
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Method:
- Wash and soak the lentils for minimum 4 hours and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- Now open the lid and add the chopped vegetables, tomato, silted green chillies, sambar powder, salt, turmeric powder and water just to immerse and leave for another 2 whistles.
- To this cooked veg and lentil add tamarind pulp, jaggery and rice flour mixing with ¼ cup of water without any lumps to thicken the sambar.
- Allow it to boil for few minutes. Finally season with mustard seeds, curry leaves and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with Paal Pongal.
