Pongal / Shankaranthi as a National Festival of Unity

Pongal as a National festival as it is celebrated all over India. For Tamils, it is also a thanksgiving day for the Gods, Farmers and Cows. As our country is

getting urbanized more and more, most of us have left our roots. Hence Pongal is now a day of remembrance of our roots.  It is very important to celebrate this festival today because most of us forgotten about our farmer brothers who have stayed back in the farms to make our daily food.

CTACIS, an organization for Tamil business community, had organized a new style of Pongal celebrations, a unity or get-together festival for diverse communities. People from different communities such as Punjabis, Rajasthanis, Christians came together and celebrated Pongal/Maghi/Makar Shankranti. It was celebrated in Presentation Church which is in Johnu John Khan Road, Royapetah, Chennai.

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Millet Palm Jaggery Pongal / Siruthaniya Karuppatti Pongal

      In the recent years we have been making Pongal with Rice and Jaggery. Slowly we have started to use millets nowadays. Why not prepare with Pongal and Palm Sugar? The taste is very good and not very different from Pongal with Jaggery. Try this traditional recipe for this Pongal which is itself a traditional festival.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian| Recipe Category: Sweets

Preparation Time: 15 mins  | Cooking Time: 30 mins | Yields: 3 cups

Ingredients:

Kodo Millet Rice	½ cup
Split Green Gram / Moong Dal	¼ cup
Powdered Palm Sugar	1 cup
Ghee	1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts	10
Dry Grapes	15
Cardamom Pods	4

1 cup = 240 ml

Procedure:

1. Dry roast the moong dal at medium flame till the nice aroma comes out from the dal. Transfer it into a dry plate and allow it to cool down completely.

2. In the same pan, dry roast the millet rice till it gets warm . Allow it to cool down completely.

3. Mix the roasted dal and millet rice together and wash them twice.

4. Then soak them with 1 cup of water for 15 mins.

5. Pressure cook them with 4 cups of water including soaked water for 1 whistle in high flame. Then keep the flame at simmer and cook for 10 mins. Then switch off the flame.

6. Meanwhile, add powdered palm sugar and ¼ cup of water in a heavy bottom vessel.  Heat them at low flame till the palm sugar melts completely.

7. When palm sugar starts melting, occasionally stir the syrup using the ladle to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.

8. After palm sugar melts completely, switch off the flame and strain the syrup using the steel filter. Keep it aside.

9. Heat the ghee in a pan, fry the cashew nuts till they become golden brown.

10. Then add the dry grapes and fry till they become swollen / fluffy.

11. After the pressure has gone, open the cooker and give a stir. Then add the palm sugar syrup, crushed cardamom pods and fried nuts with ghee.

10. Mix them gently and heat them at low flame for 5 mins. At this stage stir occasionally using the ladel.

             Yummy and very healthy palm sugar pongal is ready to serve!

Note:

1. Use any variety of millet rice or normal raw rice instead of kodo millet rice.

2. Adjust the palm sugar level according to your taste.

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Thinai Thean Sakkarai Pongal / Foxtail Millet Honey Sweet Pongal

     Sweet Pongal based on Rice or Millets is a staple dish during festivals in South India. Similarly, Thean Thenai Maavu is also another staple dish during festival days especially in Tamil Nadu. I tried mixing Thean with Pongal and created this recipe which uses Thean and Jaggery. The dish came out well and people were not able to tell the difference at all.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Sweet

Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 20 mins | Serves: 3

  

Ingredients:

Thinai Arisi (Foxtail Millet Rice)	3/4 cup
Split Green Gram (moong dal)	¼ cup
Salt	A Pinch
Jaggery Syrup (Click here for the jaggery syrup)	¾ cup
Honey	¼ cup
Ghee	2 tbsp
Cashew Nuts	10
Dry Grapes	15

Procedure:

1. Dry roast the moong dal till the nice aroma comes out. Allow it to cool down completely.

2. Dry roast the foxtail millet / thinai rice for 2 mins or get really hot. Allow it to cool down completely.

3. Mix the foxtail millet rice and moong dal together and wash them twice. Then soak it in 2 cups of water for 10 to 15 mins.

4. In a pressure cooker, add the rice, moong dal mixture and salt with 3 1/2 cups of water (add soaked water also).

5.  Pressure cook for 1 whistle in high flame and keep the flame in simmer and cook for 10 more mins.

6. After pressure has gone, add the jaggery syrup and honey. Mix them well.

7. Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small pan. Add cashew nuts and dry grapes. Sauté till they become golden color.

8. Temper the pongal with fried nuts. Mix them well and transfer it into a serving bowl or hot box.

       Serve it immediately or hot. Really yummy and tasty Thean thinai pongal is ready.

   

Note:

1. You can use the rice and dal soaked water also.

2. You should not keep the pongal in the cooker itself. Because the pongal will becomes thick soon.

3. Adjust the jaggery and honey level according to your taste.

4. Adjust the nuts level as per your choice.

Click here for more Pongal Recipes.

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Varagu (Kodo Millet) Vegetable Venpongal | Kodo Millet Recipes

     Today there are lot of recipes which use millets for pongal. In this recipe I added vegetables also along with varagu (Kodo Millet) vegetable pongal recipe. The vegetables adds more flavour to the pongal and is is also healthy too.

 

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 15 mins | Serves: 3

  

Ingredients:

Varagu Rice (Kodo Millet)	1 cup
Split Green Gram (moong dal)	½ cup
Mixed and Chopped Vegetables (Carrot, Beans and Peas)	1 cup
Salt	To taste
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Ginger	1 inch
Turmeric Powder	1/8 tsp
Hind / Asafoetida	¼ tsp
To Dry Roast:
Black Pepper	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
To Temper:
Ghee	1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts	10

Procedure:

1. Dry roast the dal till the nice aroma comes out. Allow it to cool down completely.

2. Dry roast the rice for 2 mins or get really hot. Allow it to cool down completely.

3. Mix the rice and dal together and wash them twice. Then soak it in 2 cups of water for 10 to 15 mins.

4. Meanwhile, dry roast the pepper and cumin seeds together till the nice aroma comes out.

5. In a pressure cooker, add the rice, moong dal mixture with soaked water.

6. Then add the roasted pepper and cumin seeds, curry leaves, grated ginger, salt, turmeric powder, hing, mixed vegetables and 3 cups of water.

7. Mix them well.  Pressure cook for 1 whistle in high flame and keep the flame in simmer and cook for 10 more mins.

8. Heat the pan, add ghee and fry the cashew nuts till they become golden color.

9. After pressure has gone, temper the pongal with fried cashew nuts. Mix them well and transfer it into a serving bowl or hot box.

 

    Healthy, tasty and yummy varagu veg pongal is ready. Serve it with Coconut Chutney, Tomato Chutney and Sambar.

Note:

1. You can use the rice and dal soaked water also.

2. You should not keep the pongal in the cooker itself. Because the pongal will becomes thick soon.

3. Addition of turmeric powder is optional.

Click here for Pongal Recipes.

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இனிய பொங்கல் நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!!

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Aval / Poha / Rice Flakes Ven (kara) Pongal | Pongal Recipes

Pongal is a traditional food liked by everyone. Since it is made of Raw Rice, it is unfortunately not healthy. The good news is that Aval Kara Pongal which I tried with rice flakes is indistinguishable in taste and also healthy because of Rice flakes. I highly recommended trying this atleast once. Once you start to like this, you will never go back to rice pongal.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Preparation Time:  10 mins  | Cooking Time: 15 mins | Yields: 3 cups

Ingredients:

Thick Aval / Poha / Rice Flakes	1 cup
Split Green Gram / Moong  dal / Paasipparuppu	½ cup
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Black Pepper	1 tsp
Ginger	1 inch (grated)
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Salt	As required
Water	4 ½ cups
Turmeric Powder	A pinch
Asafoetida or Hing	¼ tsp
To Temper:
Ghee	2 tbsp
Cashew nuts (chopped)	1tbsp

Procedure:

1. Dry roast moong dal till a nice aroma comes out.

2. Pressure cook the dal with 1 ½ cup of water for 2 whistles in high flame. Allow it to cool down.

3. Meanwhile, wash and soak the rice flakes for 1o mins with 2 cups of water.

4. Dry roastthe  pepper and cumin seeds together till the aroma comes out.

5. After the pressure has gone from the dal (pressure cooker from step 2), add the rice flakes with soaked water. Then add the roasted pepper and cumin seeds (from step 4), curry leaves, grated ginger, salt , turmeric powder, hing and 2 ½ cups of water. Mix them well.

6. Pressure cook for 1 whistle in high flame and switch off the flame.

7. Heat the pan, add the ghee and fry the cashew nuts till they become golden color.

8. After the pressure has gone, temper it with fried cashew nuts. Mix them well and transfer it into a serving bowl or hot box.

     Wow health aval kara  pongal is ready to eat. Serve it with coconut chutney and sambar.

Note:

1. You can use the rice flakes soaked water also.

2. You should not keep the pongal in the cooker itself. Because the pongal will becomes thick soon.

3. Adding turmeric powder give nice color to the pongal.

Check out my other Pongal Recipes:

 1. VenPongal

2. Mixed Millets Ven Pongal

3. Thinai Ven Pongal

4. Wheat Rava  Pongal

5. Bombay Rava Pongal

6. Aval Sweet Pongal

7. Sakkarai Pongal

8. Karkandu Pongal

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Ven Pongal

     The difference between other pongal recipe and this pongal recipe is that, unlike others we mix all the ingredients with the rice and dal mixture at the initia stage itself. This procedure makes the pongal more flavourful.

Check out my other Pongal Recipes:

1. Mixed Millets Ven Pongal

2. Thinai Ven Pongal

3. Wheat Rava  Pongal

4. Bombay Rava Pongal

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Breakfast

Preparation Time:  15 mins  | Cooking Time: 25 mins | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Raw Rice (ponni) / Pacharisi	1cup
Split Green Gram / Moong  dal / Paasipparuppu	½ cup
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Black Pepper	1 tsp
Ginger	1 inch (grated)
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Salt	As required
Water	4 ½ cups
Turmeric Powder	A pinch
Asafoetida or Hing	¼ tsp
To Temper
Ghee	2 tbsp
Cashew nuts (chopped)	1tbsp

Procedure:

1. Dry roast moong dal till a nice aroma comes out.

2. Dry roast the rice for just 2-3 mins or till it get really hot. But take care to avoid the rice pop out.

3. Allow them to cool down and mix them together. Wash and soak it in 2 cups of water for 15 mins.

4. Dry roast pepper and cumin seeds together till the aroma comes out.

5. In a pressure cooker, add the rice and moon dal mixture with soaked water. Then add the roasted pepper and cumin seeds, curry leaves, grated ginger, salt , turmeric powder, hing and 2 ½ cups of water. Mix them well.

6. Pressure cook for 1 whistle in high flame and keep the flame in simmer and cook for 7 more mins.

7. Heat the pan, add ghee and fry the cashew nuts till they become golden color.

8. After the pressure has gone, temper it with fried cashew nuts. Mix them well and transfer it into a serving bowl or hot box.

     Yummy and tasty ven pongal is ready to eat. Serve it with coconut chutney and sambar.

Note:

1. You can use the rice and dal soaked water also.

2. You should not keep the pongal in the cooker itself. Because the pongal will become thick soon.

3. Adding turmeric powder is optional.

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