Pongal Vazhtugal /Pongal Greetings

Prasadams for Boghi

Dal Vada & Poli


I am celebrating my 100th post with Pongal Vazhthukal .May this harvest season bring goodness and prosperity to everybody. I have made Sakkarai Pongal (sweet pongal) to give all of You a treat for my celebration.

We have an auspicious time in the morning to keep the ponga panai a traditional vessel in which we cook the pongal and shout pongalo pongal with cheers.In India that too in the southern parts they celebrate mattu pongal by decorating the Sacred Cow and praying and doing poojas.

People going to the temples and celebrating pongal there. Since we live here in the middle east, we have a very slim chance of going to the temple since it is not within the reach.

I have my own small temple at home so I do my puja and prayers at home itself.

I have put up pictures of Sakkarai pongal (sweet pongal) Ven pongal (salt pongal) and for Boghi the previous day I had made amma vadai and Poli for Neivedhiyam so I have put up those pictures too.

This is a rice festival where we consume a lot of rice items in different forms.The last day is the kannu when we prepare various dishes like lemon rice, puliohara,Coconut rice, Curd rice etc.

Now I am going to put up the recipe for Sweet pongal which I am planning to give you all as a prasad to celebrate my 100th post.

Sakkarai pongal /Sweet pongal

Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 1 cup

Moong dal - 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts - few

Raisins - few

Saffron - a pinch

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Elaichi - 5-6

Ghee - for seasoning and garnishing.

Method:

Take a kadai and roast the rice and moong dal.

Now take a heavy vessel put the rice and moong dal in it and pour sufficient water and cook .

When it starts becoming a little thick, add some milk and cook.

After the rice and moong dal is cooked and when it is still soggy add the jaggery little by little and stir. If You add the jaggery in the starting itself the moong dal will not cook so add it later.

Now after the mixture gets cooked add a pinch of saffron, and a pinch of pachai karpuram (edible camphor ) to enhance the taste.

Now add the powdered elaichi and mix nicely.

After that take a kadai and pour some ghee and put some cashew nuts and roast them and then add the raisins and roast them nicely and add to the sweet pongal.

Now the pongal is ready for Neivedhiyam to God and also for consumption.

I really wish that I could treat you all to this sweet so that our entire year will be also sweet and

beautiful.