A Pongal festival menu crafted with traditional recipes like ven pongal, lemon rice, and more for your holiday celebration.
Pongal is a four day harvest festival that is synonymous to Thanksgiving for the Tamil people. To learn about the customs and dates of pongal this year, check out this blog post which goes over the traditions.
Growing up in the United States, my family didn't follow all of the customs surrounding the festival, but we definitely ate the food associated with the holiday. Here is a list of recipes often eaten during pongal so you can get inspiration for your menu this year.
Ven Pongal - A Creamy Rice and Lentil Porridge
Ven Pongal is a buttery lentil-rice porridge. Moong daal and rice are cooked together and topped with a thalicha (tadka) of ghee infused with black peppercorn, ginger, and curry leaves.
Check out this recipe
Kala Chana Sundal | Sautéed Black Chickpeas
Kala chana sundal are Indian black chickpeas that are sautéed in an Indian spiced tadka with aromatics like cumin, curry leaves, and chilis and tossed with freshly grated coconut. They make for a great protein-packed snack or side dish.
Check out this recipe
Pumpkin Sambar with Moong Dal
Pumpkin sambar is a hearty spicy and sweet lentil stew that gets its depth from the moong dal, heat from warm spices, and sweetness from simmered cubes of pumpkin.
Check out this recipe
Javvarisi Payasam | Eggless Tapioca Pudding with Raisins
Javvarisi Payasam is an Indian tapioca pudding that is scented with cardamom, contains no eggs, uses evaporated milk, and has a buttery raisin and nut topping. It's the perfect warm and comforting winter dessert.
Check out this recipe
Pal Payasam | Stovetop Indian Rice Pudding With Evaporated Milk
Pal payasam is an Indian rice pudding perfumed with cardamom. This stovetop pal payasam uses evaporated milk for a warm and decadent dessert that comes together quickly.
Check out this recipe
Pineapple Kesari - A Sweet Semolina Dessert
Kesari is a sweet semolina (rava) dessert porridge popular in South India.This dish is sweet from the sugar, floral from the cardamom, tangy from the pineapple, and buttery from the ghee.
Check out this recipe
Lemon Rice with Ghee-Roasted Peanuts
It’s lemon-y, it’s butter-y, and it has a little bit of a kick. It is an easy way to spruce up leftover rice and give it a new life.
Check out this recipe
Indian Curd Rice with Tadka
Indian Curd Rice with a spiced tadka is the most creamy and comforting dish to spruce up that leftover rice in the fridge. It tastes extra decadent with whole-milk Greek yogurt and with a side of potato fry and mango pickle.
Check out this recipe
Leave a Reply