Pongal 2023: Makar Sankranti falls within the ‘Posh‘ month of the Hindu calendar, when the solar begins its journey northwards. It is a good alternative for foodies to get their arms on all sorts of sweets from all throughout India throughout this time, as Sankranti festivities are largely associated to traditions in meals and harvest, from peethe in Bengal to til gud ke laddoo in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and to pongal in Tamil Nadu. The harvest pageant celebrated within the south is known as Pongal. In Tamil, the phrase ‘pong‘ means ‘boil over’ or ‘spill over.’ In this text, we’ll discuss pongal (festive meals with the identical identify of the south Indian pageant – Pongal), preparations for ‘Pongal Bhojanam‘ (Pongal lunch meal) recipes, and the importance of the four-day lengthy festivities down south.

Pongal, also called Thai Pongal, is widely known on the day the solar begins to maneuver northwards, much like the favored harvest pageant of the North – Makar Sankranti. The interval is known as Uttarayanam and is taken into account auspicious.

The first day, ‘Bhogi‘, is widely known on the final day of the month of ‘Margazhi.’ On this present day, individuals purchase new vessels and other people clear and enhance their home. Moreover, there’s a custom to ‘burn down’ issues which might be thought of to be previous to make room for brand spanking new issues. The second day is known as ‘Perum Pongal‘, whereby individuals worship the Sun God, Lord Surya. Devotees enhance the central courtyard of their home with lovely kolams, carried out with rice flour and bordered with crimson clay. On this present day, individuals make chakkra pongal (candy pongal dish) with newly harvested rice and jaggery early within the morning through the dawn that’s precisely the time when the brand new month is born.

The third day is ‘Mattu Pongal‘, whereby cattle are worshiped that assist farmers in farming. On this present day, the cows are bathed and embellished with vermilion and garlands and fed nicely. The fourth and final day is known as ‘Kaanum Pongal‘. It is that a part of the pageant when households collect on the riverbanks and revel in a luxurious meal collectively. Moreover, individuals additionally carry out many conventional dances similar to kummi and kolattam. There can be a convention to cook dinner newly-harvested grains for the primary time on this present day. The day is full of wealthy and eternal style of all of the festive meals ready for the auspicious event of Pongal.

Pongal Recipes: Here we offer you a number of recipes which might be a part of ‘Pongal Sapad‘ or ‘Pongal Bhojanam‘ (Pongal lunch meal):
 

The meal consists of candy and salty Pongal, dry vegetable (poriyal/palya), vegetable gravy (kuzhambu/koora), savoury fritters, spicy salad, papads and pickles.

These recipes are sometimes ready throughout Pongal, however will also be made on different festive events. The meal is historically eaten on a banana leaf. Eating on banana leaf is historically thought of to have loads of well being advantages. 

1. Mendu Wada

 
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• White urad dal – 1 cup (soaked for two hours)
• Ginger – 1 (1 inch measurement)
• Green chilli – 1 (finely chopped)
• Coriander leaves – small bunch (finely chopped)

 
Method
1. Soak urad dal for about 2 hours. Strain the water from urad dal.
2. Now, grind dal and ginger in a blender until you get a clean batter. Make positive you add little water whereas grinding the dal. Transfer the batter to a bowl.
3. Add salt, inexperienced chillies and chopped coriander and blend nicely to make medu vada batter.
5. Cover the vada batter and permit it to relaxation. 
6. Preheat the oil in a pan for deep frying the medu vada.
7. Deep fry the vadas and serve them sizzling and crispy.
 

 
2. Puzhi Kozhambu

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: half-hour

Ingredients:

• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• 1 sprig curry leaves, roughly torn
• Pearl onions (sambar onions) – 1/2 cup (quartered)
• Tomatoes – 2 (would not should be finely chopped)
• Elephant yam (senai kizhangu) – 200 grams (peeled and chopped)
• Tamarind water – 1 cup
• Sambar powder – 1 tsp
• Jaggery – 1 tbsp
• Gingelly o- 1 tsp
• Salt, to style

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan over medium flame; add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and permit them to crackle.
2. Add curry leaves and onions and saute till the onions are calmly tender. Once the onions are calmly cooked, add the remaining components and add 1/2 cup of water.
3. Cover the vessel and cook dinner until the components get tender and switch off the warmth.

 

3. Thair Pachadi
 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Curd – 200 grams
• Onion – 2 (lower into cubes)
• Tomatoes – 2 (lower into cubes)
• Green chillies – 2 (lower into small items)
• Curry leaves, coriander leaves
• Salt to style
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds

Method
1. Add ghee to a vessel and warmth it.
2. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, onion tomatoes and inexperienced chillies and barely saute them.
3. Switch off the range and add some curd, coriander leaves and salt. Thair Pachadi is able to be savoured.

 

4. Avial

Preparation time: quarter-hour
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Salt to style
• Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves
• All seasonal greens: contemporary inexperienced peas, broad beans seeds, cluster beans, carrot, beans, yam, small yam, arbi, candy potatoes, potatoes, brinjal, drumsticks, uncooked bananas, mango. (Wash and steam all of the greens.)
• Coconut – 1 complete
• Small onion – 1 piece
• Green chillies – 3 complete
• Ginger – 1 inch
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

 
Method
1. Wash and chop greens into small items and steam them.
2. Grind coconut, small onion, inexperienced chillies, ginger and cumin seeds to make a comfortable paste.
3. Heat one tsp ghee in a broad vessel, add mustard seeds and floor coconut masala. Cook them for jiffy after which swap off the range.
4. Add steamed greens, curd and washed curry leaves. 
5. Slightly warmth 1 tablespoon coconut oil and add to the Avail, add salt, coriander leaves and serve it sizzling.
 

5. Brinjal And Drumstick Sambar

Preparation time: quarter-hour 
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Tuar dal – 1 cup (cooked comfortable)
• Tamarind – 1 small lemon measurement (take out the pulp together with 1 glass of water)
• Brinjal – 2 (lower them lengthwise and steams it)
• Drumsticks – 2 (lower into 3 cm size and steam it)
• Tomatoes – 2 (lower into cubes)
• 1 Onion – lower into cubes
• Curry leaves – 12
• Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
• Samar powder – 3 tablespoons
• Salt to style
• Ghee – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Hing – 1/4 tsp

 
Method
1. Soak tuar dal for six hours and cook dinner it.
2. Heat ghee in a vessel, add mustard seeds to it. Now, add onion and curry leaves and saute them nicely in low flame. Add tomatoes and saute it until they turn out to be comfortable.
3. Add hing, turmeric powder and sambar powder and cook dinner them for a number of seconds. Add tamarind pulp water, carry it to boil and add cooked and mashed dal, steamed drumsticks and brinjal.
4. Allow sambar to boil for 3 extra minutes after which add coriander leaves and little hing. Add salt as per your style. Remove it from the flame and serve with sizzling rice.
                                       
 

6. Sweet Pongal

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: half-hour

Ingredients

• Rice – 1 cup
• Green gram dal – 1/3 cup
• Powdered jaggery – 1-1/2 cups
• Water – 5 cups
• Cashewnuts – 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 1/4 cup
•  Raisins – 1 tbsp
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Method

1. Roast gram dal in a pan until it turns mild brown.
2. Now, wash the roasted dal together with rice and soak them for one hour.
3. Strain dal and rice.
4. Boil three cups of water and add dal and rice.
4. Cook for about 10 minutes.
5. Take a shallow pan and add half cup and jaggery to it. Melt the jaggery in it. 
6. Remove the filth by straining it and warmth it as soon as once more until you get a thick consistency.
7. Now, combine cooked rice-dal combination into it and carry on a medium flame for jiffy. 
8. Fry cashew nuts and raisins individually in ghee. Mix it with the cooked pongal and add cardamom powder to it.
9. Your candy pongal is able to be savoured.

Happy Pongal, everybody!

(Author Bio: The writer is an Art of Living Ayurvedic cooking skilled and writer of the favored work – ‘Sattva The Ayurvedic Cook Book.’)

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