SHANKARANTHI THALI (TRADITIONAL LUNCH ON PONGAL DAY)

Everyone has their own style and follow their own traditional way in celebrating pongal and preparing special varieties of dishes on this festive day.

In our house we prepared Ven pongal, Chakra pongal, White rice, Rasam,vadai, payasam, Vadai Thair pachadi, kai kootu on pongal day. We did Sathya Narayana pooja also and did Amsi (Neivedhyam) all the dishes to God. After the pooja we read the Pooja Story to every one of our house. We enjoy the divine story of Lord. Sathya Narayana. After having the prasadam we do all sit for our lunch together. Here… the plate of traditional and tasty dishes from our home.

We use a decorated bronze pot for cooking the sweet pongal on pongal day. Here the word decoration means we tied the pots neck with raw turmeric leaves, secondly we tied some flowers, Small and Fine pieces of sugar cane, turmeric pieces and yellow pumpkin pieces in a twine thread and tied it below the turmeric leaves. We put Thiruman (Full Namam on all sides of the pot).

Here comes the recipe of

SWEET PONGAL

Raw rice 1 cup
Moong dhal/pasi paruppu ½ cup
Sugar ½ cup
Milk 500 ml
Jaggery ¼ cup
Kalkandu ¼ cup

Pachai karpuram/ camphor a pinch
Cashews and raisins

METHODS

Boil the milk in the bronze pot. Add the washed rice and dal to it.
Mix well and cover with lid. Stir on and off.
When the rice come to almost to the cooked stage and soft, add grated jaggery, sugar and kalkandu in to it.
If necessary u can add water of ½ to 1cup.
Combine well. Now add the pachai karpuram, elachi in to the pongal.
Finally garnish with roasted cashews and raisins.

I think the English name for kalkandu is Sweet candy. But I'm not sure. If anybody knows, kinldy write to me dears.

Sending this recipe to FIC-- YELLOW at http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/2009/01/announcing-food-in-colors-january-2009.html hosted by sunshinemom of tongue ticklers

and also to Festive Food: Makar Sankranti By Priti of
Indian Khana

Sudeshna's Harvest -the festival of rice Event.