PONGAL

Pongal is a popular rice dish in Tamil Nadu, other South Indian states, and Tamil-speaking areas of Sri Lanka. Pongal is unique to Tamil cuisine, pong means " boil over" or "spill over". There are two varieties of pongal, namely, sakarai pongal (sweet pongal) and ven pongal (white pongal). The unqualified word pongal usually refers to spicy pongal, and is a common breakfast food in several parts of India. The rice boiled with milk and jaggery during the Pongal festival is also called pongal - this is sweet pongal made specially in earthenware pots with a wood fire.

INGREDIENTS
  • Cup rice
  • Cardamom pods
  • Cloves
  • Tablespoon raisins
  • Tablespoon cashew nuts
  • Tablespoon brown sugar
  • Coconut milk
  • Tablespoon ghee, or clarified butter
  • Cups water
  • Pinch of salt
PREPARATION
  • Wash the rice and drain the water. In a pan, heat the pan with two cups of water until it boils. Add the cardamom and cloves and salt to season. Let it simmer further until the rice is cooked, and tries to overflow.
  • Flavour it with ghee, brown sugar and coconut milk before adding the raisins and cashew nuts to the rice. I prefer a mushy consistency for my pongal, so I let it cook further (adding more water when needed), but if you are partial to firmer grains, you can remove the dish from the heat when the ideal consistency of rice is reached.

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