Smitha Shrisha's Carpe Diem Spicy Eats: Search results for pongal

Dec 29, 2012

Pongal - a Sankranthi Festival flavor. This Huggi / Khara /Ven Pongal is the traditional recipe made in almost all homes in South India during Makara Sankranthi.

It can also be enjoyed during cold chill weather and see how it will warm you up! Enjoy pipping hot.

Spicy Pongal

Ingredients

Raw rice 1 cup

Moong dal- 1/4 cup

Water 4 cups

Salt as needed

Ginger chopped 1 tblsp optional

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Boiled Avarekai/Peas-1/2 cup special flavor

Gojju

Seasoning

Ghee 2 tblsp

Pepper 2 tsp

Jeera 2 tsp

Curry leaves few

Hing a pinch

Cashews 5-6

Dry coconut-1/2 tbsp

Green chillies-3-4 unique spicy flavor

Method

Fry Moong dal and rice with ginger in ghee.

Cook in pressure cooker along with little jeera, pepper and green chillies with water.

Allow it to cool and mash well.

Add boiled avarekai or peas.

Season with the items given. Heat little ghee, add pepper and let it start splutter.

Add cashews and jeera. Add green chillies curry leaves and hing.

Once done add it to pongal and mix well.

Add grated dry coconut.

Serve hot with tamrind gojju.

Enjoy other interesting recipes with "Moong" under Ingredients search.

May the sunshine surround you each day!

Sweet Pongal is prepared during Sankranthi festival. A delicious mix of Moong dal with rice and jaggery blended with dryfruits, it's tasty and rich. Enjoy !!

Sweet Pongal

Ingredients :

1 cup Raw Rice

1/2 cup Moong Dal/Green Gram Dal

1 cup Milk

3 cups Jaggery grated ( as per taste)

4 tbsp Ghee

Few cashews/Raisins

2 tbsp Dry Coconut (grated)

1/2 tsp Elachi pwd

1/2 tsp Nutmet pwd

1-2 cloves (opt)

Saffron (pinch)

Water

Method :

In a kadai, add ghee roast dry the green gram dal for a couple of minutes.

Next cook the rice and moong dal . In a pan, add the jaggery in water and cook on a low heat till the jaggery melts.

Once done add the cooked rice and dal.Add milk and stir well.

Heat ghee and fry the cashewnuts and raisins add to the pongal.

Add the powdered cardamoms, cloves, nutmeg, grated coconut and saffron.

Mix well and serve this hot Sweet Pongal.

Thanks for stopping by,

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"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have."

Vince Lombardi

Makara Sankranti / Happy Pongal

Makara Sankranti or Sankramana is celebrated in the month of Magha when the sun passes through the winter solstice, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn. It is also a celebration of the harvest festival. It is celebrated across states in India and is called by different names.

On this auspicious day, people in Karnataka distribute Yellu and Bella to family and friends (jaggery, sesame seeds, ground nut, dried coconut, and fried gram goes into this ellu bella) along with Sakarare Aachu of different shapes and greet with the words “Ellu bella thindu, Olle Maathadi” / ಎಳ್ಳು ಬೆಲ್ಲ ತಿಂದು, ಒಳ್ಳೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿ.

While in Maharashtra it's "Til gul ghya goad goad bola"/ तीळ गूळ घ्या नी गोड-गोड बोला

(Eat sesame seeds and speak only good).

In the evening the children in the house will be made to sit and a mixture of ellu bella, berries called elchi hannu/ ಎಲಚಿ ಹಣ್ಣು in Kannada, pieces of sugarcane, coins are mixed and poured over their heads, and an aarathi is performed.

The significance across states of this exchange is that sweetness should prevail in all walks of life.

May the sun radiate peace, prosperity, and happiness in our lives!!

Happy Sankranthi!!