PONGAL 2012 RECIPES AND GREAT CELEBRATION

Many events are being celebrated in different parts of India including Pongal which is the harvest festival celebrated for four days in a region named ‘Tamil Nadu’ which is the southern state of India. Pongal is one of the most important and very much popular festivals of Hindus. The basic concept of this festival is to thank nature. It has originated from a Tamil word having mean ‘to boil’. According to Tamil calendar this festival falls in the month of "Thai" which is normally during the English calendar months of January or February. This is the time of year when many crops such as: rice, cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric are harvested throughout the country.
The pongal dishes that are mostly liked and made are:

• Rice Pongal
• Sakkarai or Chakarai Pongal (sweet pongal)
• Rava Pongal
• Khara Pongal
• Venn Pongal

The tastiest Pongal 2012 Recipe is Venn Pongal.

·         Venn Pongal: It is one of the most delicious varieties of Pongal recipe. Its ingredients are:

Ingredients

Raw Rice 1 and a 1/2 cup

Moong dal 1/2 cup

Black Peppercorns 1teaspoon

Cumin seeds1 teaspoon

Ghee 2 tablespoon

Finely chopped ginger 1/2 teaspoon

Cashew nuts 5nos

Curry Leaves 8 to 10

Salt 3/4 teaspoon

How to Prepare Venn Pongal:

First Wash the rice and Moong Dal. Put them together in a cooker. Add about 5 cups of water in it. Now pressure cook it for around 8 minutes. In the meantime, coarsely grind the pepper and cumin seeds separately then Chop the cashew in pieces and fry in a little oil till they give a beautiful golden. After 8 minutes, release the pressure of the cooker and mash the rice and dal together with the help of wooden spoon. Then Add pepper, cumin powder, cashew, ginger, curry leaves, salt and remaining ghee to the rice and mix them well to make a great mixture. Now the dish is ready. Serve it beautifully by garnishing some hara Dhaniya on it.