As the harvest season brings with it varied festivities across the Indian subcontinent, so too each region celebrates the coming of longer days in its own traditional fashion. The end of winter weather in southern Indian provinces arrives with pongal, which celebrates abundance and prosperity.
The festival is marked by preparing lots of traditional dishes, including the sweet pongal itself, a comforting rice dish flavoured with ghee, jaggery and cardamom. If you are planning on hosting a pongal feast at home, you can put some twists on the age-old recipes to lend the traditional repast a slightly more customised, contemporary touch as you cook in your modern, modular kitchen.
Millet Pongal
For those among our readers who prefer millets over white rice, go for a pongal preparation that uses foxtail or barnyard millet. While the texture of the dish itself will remain soothing and utterly comforting, using millets will bring an added nutritional element into the classic dish. Millet pongal, prepared in the savoury style, can be accentuated with veggies like carrots and beans, and a hint of black pepper for a bright spice. Serve the millet pongal warm with coconut chutney and generous dollops of ghee at lunch time.
Sakkarai Pongal With Orange Zest And Roasted Nuts
Sakkarai pongal, or the sweet pongal is what truly makes a festive meal stand out. Made simply with rice, jaggery and an aromatic spice like cardamom and saffron, sakkarai pongal is a truly comfy delight to gorge upon on the festive day. Put a twist on the classic recipe by introducing the sweet pongal with a hint of orange zest that will add a citrusy acidity into the dish. Jaggery and orange will blend well together, where the latter will give a bright lift to the classic rice dish. Garnish the pongal with roasted almonds and cashews for a luxe, earthy finish.
Pepper-Roasted Vegetable Poriyal
Since pongal is celebrated at that time of the year when fresh produce is available in abundance, it is no wonder that veggie poriyal becomes one of the principle traditional dishes to have on the festive platter. Poriyal marks the bountiful presence of fibre-rich, colourful vegetables including carrots, gourds, beans, cabbage, pumpkins, capsicum: there is room for all nutritious veggies in this stir-fried treat. While preparing the festive feast, add just a touch of crushed black pepper to the recipe, along with minced garlic. Layered with familiar, comforting flavours the veggie dish will nonetheless be undercut by a warmer, bolder touch, which makes the simple stir-fry taste slightly spicier and fulfilling.
Baked Medu Vada With Herbs
Medu vada is often prepared as a side accompaniment with the pongal feast. Put a slightly healthier, more contemporary spin on the classic recipe by baking the medu vadas instead of deep frying them. Introduce the flavours of cumin and curry leaves in the vada for an herbal, aromatic and slightly umami finish. This light, festive accompaniment will add an indulgent note into the pongal feast. Serve the vadas with a spicy tomato or coconut chutney whose flavours will compliment the herbs in the crispy side dish.
Coconut And Lentil Sundal With Lime
Make sundal with lentils instead of chickpeas for introducing a twist into the classic recipe. Flavour with a tempering of curry leaves, hing, urad dal, dry red chillies and mustard in keeping with the traditional recipe. Finish off the lentil sundal with freshly-grated coconut and lots of lime juice that brings a tangy, sour acidity into what is a thoroughly favoured side dish or small-bite prepared especially for the pongal feast.