The Harvest festival of Tamilnadu called Pongal or Thai Pongal conjures up images of colorful pots overflowing with milk, dal and rice and little kids and elders exclaiming ecstatically Pongalo Pongal..the ,exchange of ellu bella, ( sesame seeds and jaggery ) in Karnataka where it is called Makara Sankranthi , long lanky green sugarcane , juices dripping from little children s mouth trying to gnaw away at the hard skin of juicy sugarcane , overflowing pots indicating abundance and prosperity, the colorful but highly risky bullock / cattle races in Tamilnadu districts., the large colorful rangolis, kolams colorful geometrical and floral patterns drawn in front of every home specially in the rural areas , the smoky fires cooking the Pongal pots , pots themselves colorfully decorated. One can go on and on, as this great Harvest festival is not attached to any one particular region in India.

The festival marks the beginning of new things and the end of the harvest season. Farmers are happy their efforts have been rewarded despite the various odds and now it is time to celeberate and offer gratitude to Surya /Sun God.

Every state has its own name and way of celebration, but the essence remains the same, heralding the spring, the beginning of harvest and offering prayers to the Gods thankful for the good harvest and beginning of good times ahead. It is very auspicious month in Tamilnadu when every new venture is timed to co incide with the onset of spring and the festival.

Pongal is a four day festival which usually takes place from January 13 to 16 in the Gregorian calendar i.e., the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi to the third day of Tamil month Thai.

The second of the four days i.e., first day of the Tamil month Thai is the main day of the festival and this day is known as Thai Pongal. This day coincides withMakara Sankranthi which is a winter harvest festival celebrated throughout India. The day marks the start of sun’s six-month long journey northwards (Uttarayana). This also represents the Indic solstice when the sun purportedly enters the 10th house of the Indian zodiac i.e. Makar or Capricorn.

In Tamil, the word Pongal means "overflowing" which signifies abundance and prosperity. On the day of Pongal, at the time of sun rise there is a symbolic ritual of boiling fresh milk in a new clay pots and when the milk boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, people shout "Pongalo Pongal!" The saying "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum" meaning "the commencement of Thai paves the way for new opportunities" is often quoted regarding the Pongal festival. Tamils thank the Sun god (Surya) for the good harvest and consecrate the first grain to him on this 'Surya Mangalyam'. Tamilians decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the floor with decorative patterns drawn using rice flour.

Our Pongal lunch menu :

🍀sarkarai pongal

🍀Ven Pongal

🍀Pongal Kuzhambu with assorted vegetables

🍀Tomato rasam

🍀lady fingers mor Kuzhambu

🍀Podalangai Curd pachadi ( snakegourd)

🍀Avial

🍀Raw plantain stirfry

🍀Beans Paruppu Usili

🍀Spicy potato Kari

Recipe for the spicy potato Kari is pretty simple .

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes

2tsp chili powder

Pinch of turmeric powder

Pinch of asafoetida

Salt

Curry leaves

Tempering :

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp udad dal

1/4 tsp methi seeds

Method :

Pressure cook it boil potatoes , peel and mash roughly .

Take a Kadai , add 1 tbsp sesame oil , heat it .

Splutter mustard seeds , add split udad dal .

Add methi seeds, Add curry leaves , add the crumbled potato mixture , sautee well , add chili powder , add salt and mix well . Cover and keep on medium heat so that the potatoes get a crusty texture on sautéing .

Using an iron kadai is recommended to get delicious 😋 results.

🍀Paruppu vadai

🍀Rice dal ghee

🍀plantain chips

🍀Curd

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