Pongalo Pongal

Pongal is the Harvest Festival celebrated in mid January (14 Jan or 15 Jan) every year. This year Pongal falls in Jan 15 (first day of Thai Madham). We thank God, animals (especially cow) and workers (those who helped through out the year for the harvest). You can read in this post how we celebrate those four days.

In every house, Sakkarai (Sweet) Pongal is prepared to Thank ("Sun = Suriya Bhagavan") for the fruitful harvest. The rice and lentil are cooked in earthen pot into sweet and savory version in earthen new stoves. The rice and lentil should over split the pot belief the wealth/happiness will overflow throughout the year.
But in modern lifestyle, earthen stove is swapped to Gas stove, earthen pot replaced to pressure cooker.

Pongal fondly reminds me cane sugar, colorful kolam (rangoli) and of course Pongal (food).

The rangoli (kolam) represents the overflowing pongal from the pot (Pongal Pannai) and cane sugar. I did with all necessary ingredients for Sweet Pongal.

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Ingredients:

Raw rice: 1 cup

Green gram dhal (de-husked): 1/4 cup

Jaggery: 3/4 cup to 1 cup grated

Green cardamon: 4 pods powdered

Cashew: 10 broken into pieces

Raisins: 1 tbsp

Nutmeg: /4 tsp

Salt: a pinch

Ghee: 3 tbsp

Method

Add a tsp ghee and roast the lentil (green gram dhal) slightly. Rinse the dhal and rice in tap water (3 times). Pressure cook the dhal and rice with 5 cups of water. Leave 6 whistles sound and switch off the stove. Let the pressure release on his own.

Add a little water in jaggery and melt it in low flame. Once melted, filtered the jaggery through a strainer.

Roast the cashew and raisin in 1 tbsp of ghee.

Mash the rice and dhal slightly, add the melted jaggery and cook with a pinch of salt in medium flame.

Once the mixture is thicken, add the ghee, roasted cashews and raisins. Sprinkle the powdered cardamon and switch off the stove.

If the pongal is watery don't worry it will turn thick later!

Tip: Don't cook rice and dhal directly in pressure cooker, unless you want to scrub the stovetop and kitchen later.

Fill with little water the pressure cooker first and keep another bowl (rice+lentil+water) cover with lid. Pressure cook.

Wish you once again Happy Pongal!