THAI PONGAL CELEBRATION & SPECIAL PONGAL RECIPES!

KNOW ABOUT THAI PONGAL CELEBRATION

The festival is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the Tamil month of Thai, which typically falls in mid-January. The festival is dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya, Nature, and Cattle for their help in harvesting and marks the beginning of the harvest season. The four-day festival includes Bhogi Pongal, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. On each day of the festival, different rituals and traditions are observed. On Bhogi Pongal, people discard old possessions and welcome new ones, while on Thai Pongal, people pray to the Sun god and celebrate the harvest, families prepare and offer 'Pongal', a sweet dish made of freshly harvested rice, milk, and jaggery. The third day is called Mattu Pongal, which is dedicated to cattle and other farm animals, who play a major role in agricultural activities, and on Kaanum Pongal, families and friends get together and exchange gifts. People also decorate their homes with colorful kolams.

 

PERFECT PONGAL RECIPE

Ingredients

½ cup Red raw rice
¼ cup Moong dal
3 cups Water
10 no Cashews, broken
2 no Cardamom
1 tbsp Raisins
¾ cup Jaggery
½ cup Water for jaggery syrup
1 tiny pinch Edible camphor
3 tbsp Ghee

 

Method

1. Roast 1/3 cup moong dal till it turns light golden brown.
2. Wash 1/2 cup rice well under running water and drain all the water.
3. In a large vessel, mix rice, roasted moong dal and 2.5 cups water.
4. Cook the mix in a pressure cooker for 4 to 5 whistles. The dal rice mix should be soft and slightly mashable.
5. After the pressure cooker has depressurized, take out the dal rice mix and mix it using a heavy ladle so that the mix is a bit mashed.
6. To a heavy-bottomed vessel, add 1.25 cups jaggery and 1/2 cup water.
7. Over low to medium heat, cook till the jaggery melts and forms a thick syrup.
8. Add 1/2 tsp cardamom powder to the jaggery mix.
9. Add the cooked rice + dal to the jaggery syrup and mix well.
10. Over medium heat, cook the mix for 2 or 3 minutes.
11. Add 1 tbsp ghee and mix well.
12. Turn off the heat.
13. In a ladle, heat 1 tbsp ghee.
14. Add split cashew nuts and fry till golden brown.
15. Add the ghee and fried cashews to the Sweet Pongal and mix well.
16. served warm

IN CONCLUSION

Kugans is your go-to one-stop-smart-shop for all Indian, Sri Lankan, and S

0outh Asian groceries under one digital roof. Stay safe, stay indoors, we will deliver to your doorstep. Keep an eye on the Kugans Blog for more new, informative and exciting blogs.

Leave a comment to share your experience with us.