Pongal (dish)
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | Tamil Nadu, South India |
| Details | |
| Main ingredient(s) | Rice |
| Variations | Sakarai pongal, Ven pongal |
Pongal (Tamil: பொங்கல்,Telugu: పొంగలి) is a popular rice dish based in South India. Pongal is unique to Tamil cuisine, but related to Khichdi.
There are two varieties of pongal, namely, sakarai pongal (sweet pongal) and ven pongal (spicy 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.
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[edit] Types of pongal
[edit] Sakarai pongal
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Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
Sakarai pongal (sweet) is generally prepared in temples as a prasad, i.e., offering to God. This type of pongal is also prepared during the Pongal festival (similar to Thai Pongal) in Tamil Nadu,South India.
Sakarai means sugar in the Tamil language. It tastes sweet and contains ingredients like rice, sugar/jaggery, coconut pieces or moong daal. The sweetening agent in sakarai is traditionally jaggery, but sometimes candy sugar can be added. This makes a white looking pongal, but adding jaggery makes a darker brown coloured pongal.
[edit] Ven pongal
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Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
Ven(White) pongal is a popular dish in South Indian homes and is typically served as a special breakfast in Tamil Nadu.
[edit] Melagu pongal
Melagu pongal is a spicy variant made with pepper, rice and moong daal.
[edit] Puli pongal
Puli pongal is a variant that is made with tamarind and boiled rice. It is not specifically associated with the Pongal festival and is often eaten for dinner in Tamil Nadu.
[edit] Festive importance
Every January, Tamilians celebrate Pongal, a harvest festival, where pongal (the dish) is cooked to celebrate the harvest.
Traditionally ancient Tamil people cook pongal before pooja and offer it to the deities.
[edit] External links
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