Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil community celebrate this festival to thank the Sun, Mother Nature, and farm animals for contributing to a bountiful harvest. This festival also marks the beginning of the auspicious Tamil month called ‘Thai’.
The festival is celebrated over four days. This year, Pongal will be celebrated from January 15 to January 18, 2024.
Here are some traditional dishes to include in Pongal lunch:
Sambar: To make sambar, first temper and saute vegetables and then add sambar powder, tamarind paste, water, and other required ingredients for sambar. Let it boil, add dal, and then boil again. Add coriander leaves and asafoetida and give a final boil.
Ven Pongal:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup yellow moong dal (split yellow gram)
1/2 cup rice (chawal)
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp finely chopped ginger (adrak)
salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp broken cashew nut (kaju)
1 tsp coarsely crushed peppercorns (kalimirch)
10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
Method:
1. To make ven pongal, heat a small non-stick pan, add the yellow moong dal and dry roast on a medium flame for 3 minutes.
2. Wash the dry roasted yellow moong dal and rice.
3. Combine the moong dal- rice mixture, asafoetida, ½ tsp of cumin seeds, ginger, salt and 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 5 whistles.
4. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
5. Add ½ cup of hot water and mix well. Keep aside.
6. Heat the ghee in a small non-stick pan and add the remaining 1 tsp of cumin seeds and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.
7. Add the cashewnuts, coarsely crushed peppercorns and curry leaves and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.
8. Add the tempering to the dal-rice mixture and mix well.
9. Serve the ven pongal immediately with ghee.
Rasam: You can prepare a simple rasam or try variations such as Lemon rasam or Pineapple rasam.
Medu Vadai: Medu Vadai is an Indian doughnut (not sweet) that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Medu vadai is prepared using urad dal.
Ingredients:
1 cup split skinless black gram (dhuli urad dal), soaked for 6-8 hours and drained
5-6 curry leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coconut
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
Crushed black peppercorns to taste
Salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying
Coconut chutney for serving
Method:
1. Blend split skinless black gram along with some water into smooth and thick batter. Transfer in a bowl.
2. Add curry leaves, coconut, green chillies, crushed peppercorns and salt and mix well.
3. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai.
4. Dampen your palms with some water, take a portion on the batter, make a cavity in the center to shape into medu vada and drop in hot oil directly and deep-fry till golden brown and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper.
5. Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Also Read: Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Price, Specifications
Sakkarai Pongal: Sakkarai Pongal is a sweet festive dish, prepared using moong dal, jaggery, ghee, and nuts. It can be called the South Indian style moong dal halwa.
Ingredients:
100 gm Rice
100 gm Moong dal
600 ml Water
200 gms Jaggery,
grated8 nos Green cardamom,
60 gm Ghee
2 tbsp Raisins
30 gms Cashew nuts
Method:
Wash rice and dal separately and keep aside.2.In a vessel, bring to boil 480 ml/2 cups of water. Add washed moong dal, stirring occasionally cook till half done.3.Add the washed rice, mix well and allow to cook till done on low heat. In a separate vessel melt jaggery in 120 ml of water and strain.4.Add the melted and strained jaggery to the cooked mixture of rice and dal. Mix well.
Post Your Comments