Sakkarai pongal And Pongal celebration

About pongal celebrations :

  Pongal is the traditional festival of tamilnadu . it is the harvest festival which falls on January 14 th  of every year  , it is celebrated on the first day of the tamil month thai , so it is  also called as thaithirunal.

 This festival is celebrated for four days . The day before pongal is celebrated as Bhogi / makarasankaranthi – on this day the house is cleaned and a bunch of greens which consists of neem , avarampoo ( senna auriculata ) and poolapoo are placed in home.

The following day is pongal , on this day rice cooked in new earthen pots infront of the house at the time of sunrise , as this festival is celebrated as thanksgiving to the sungod. Sun is essential to agriculture.

The nextday is mattupongal , it is celebrated as thanksgiving to the cattles which are helpful  for farming , especially to cows , so called as mattupongal. Cow is called as maddu in Tamil. Pongal is made and offered to cow and other cattles.

The fourth day is called as kannum pongal , this is the day on which people gather in parks , beaches and other tourist places with all of their family members and enjoy the whole day. 

In this post I am sharing the recipe of my mom’s sakkarai pongal , I like it most than any other pongal.

Requirements :

Raw rice – 2 cup

Moong dhal – ½ cup

Jaggery – 2 cup

Ghee – 50 g

Milk – ½ cup

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Cashew – 10

Raisins – 10

Method :

 We cook pongal in copper vessel on open fire.

 Soak and wash rice and dhal separately.

In the pongal vessel , add the dhal and 5 cups of water and cook till the dhal is cooked fully.

The water will rise and flow out when boiling – pongal pongarathu…….. it must fall on east side that is auspicious.

Now add the rice and cook.

                                      

Keep cooking till the rice is cooked fully.

Now add the jaggery and mix well.

Add the ghee and milk mix well , cook in low fire and keep stiring.

Roast the cashew and raisins in ghee and add to the cooking pongal.

Add the cardamom powder and mix well.

The pongal will thicken after few minutes , take off from flame.

Pongal is ready to offer to sun god .

Enjoy the sweet pongal…….

Note :

 Grated coconut can be added to the cooked pongal.