Who doesn’t love delicies from Southern India. With Pongal recently over, you must’ve tasted some delicious food. If not, we are here to help you out. Pongal is the festival to worship Lord Surya and celebrate this festival with a traditional ritual of cooking rice and milk in an earthen pot on a wood fire until it overflows.
The Tamil word “Pongu” from which the word “Pongal” is derived, refers to the overflow. This dish is then shared with family and friends, who enjoy it with all their hearts. However, the festival doesn’t end here. This is followed by a hearty feast featuring various South Indian delicacies. Here are some traditional South Indian dishes:
Sakkarai Pongal
This is the star dish of the festival and is prepared on the second day of Pongal. The sweet dish is traditionally cooked in a pot over an open wood flame. A mixture of rice, milk, moong dal, jaggery, and ghee is brought to a boil and allowed to overflow. An upbeat “Pongal O Pongal” chant fills the air with joy. This delectable sweet dish is presented to the gods before being consumed by the people. For those who enjoy rich desserts, this dish is sweet and hearty.
Payasam
Inevitably present at South Indian festivities and celebrations, payasam evokes pleasant and happy memories. This traditional sweet made with milk, jaggery/sugar, and typically semolina is ideal to end any meal, especially a festive one. The dish comes in a variety of flavours and its base can be made from moong dal, rice, sooji, or other millet.
Coconut Rice
Everyone is familiar with the popularity of coconut in south Indian cuisine. Dals, sweets, meals, and other dishes all feature its calming flavour. Coconut rice is a popular dish served during Kannum Pongal (rice dishes are a highlight on the third day of the festival). Rice is flavoured with fresh coconut, spices, curry leaves, and ginger. The sweetness of the coconut combined with the spices is a flavorful combination and is served with various curries.
Lemon Rice
Lemon rice is another rice dish made for Kannum Pongal. It is a comfort food that is slightly sour and tangy, and is one of the most popular dishes from the southern parts of India. Rice is seasoned with fresh lemon juice, spices, and curry leaves. It is frequently eaten with curd or pickle. Curd rice and til (sesame seed) rice are the two other popular rice dishes served during Kannum Pongal.
Vada
Who doesn’t enjoy having hot, golden brown, crunchy vadas? The savoury snack made with urad dal, water and salt, is shaped like a crispy, dense donut and is popular not only in the southern states, but across the country. Most often, it is eaten with sambar or coconut chutney and a piping hot glass of tea or filter coffee.
Ven Pongal
“Ven Pongal” is a saltier version of Sakkarai Pongal, having the same major components (rice, moong dal, and ghee) but with spices in place of sweets. Rice, moong dal, black pepper, green chilli, curry leaves, and cashews are all combined in this scrumptious recipe. It is also a well-liked breakfast delicacy in Tamil Nadu, frequently served with sambar or chutney.
