Overflowing with ponggal goodness
PAAL ponggal is a traditional South Indian dish that holds great significance during festive celebrations, particularly the harvest festival of Ponggal.

This delectable dish is a culinary delight symbolising abundance, prosperity and the spirit of togetherness.

Celebrated predominantly in Tamil Nadu, Ponggal is a four-day harvest festival marking the end of the winter solstice and the onset of the auspicious Uttarayan period.

The festival is dedicated to the Sun God, and paal ponggal is traditionally cooked outdoors under the warmth of the sun. The act of cooking rice and lentils as an offering to the sun is a gesture of gratitude for the energy and light that sustains life on Earth.

This is a time for families and communities to come together and celebrate the collective achievements of the harvest.

The preparation of paal ponggal is often a communal activity, with family members and neighbours participating in the cooking process.

The most significant ritual during the preparation of paal ponggal occurs when the pot is about to come to a boil, and participants shout “Ponggalo Ponggal” signifying the overflowing of the boiled milk, followed by thunderous applause when it does.

Paal ponggal is often the first dish prepared during the Ponggal festival in welcoming new beginnings.

Scoop the ponggal into a serving bowl. Garnish with cashews, raisins, cardamom and a drizzle of melted ghee. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star

The sweet dish is offered to deities as a gesture to seek blessings for a prosperous and harmonious future.

Simple yet wholesome ingredients contribute to its rich and creamy texture. The traditional preparation involves cooking rice and lentils in an earthen pot or a brass vessel, with milk added to create a luscious porridge.

While traditionally sweetened with jaggery, it has become more common to use sugar.

However, garnishing with cashews and cardamom is a must to impart a heavenly aroma and taste.

Drizzling on the aromatised melted ghee gives the dish its finishing touch.

Simple yet wholesome ingredients contribute to paal ponggal’s rich and creamy texture.

A special mention goes to my colleague Darishini Priyaa Devadas, who graciously shared her mum’s recipe, which does not contain lentils but includes dried fruits such as raisins or cranberries.

Paal ponggal, with its cultural and symbolic significance, serves as a culinary embodiment of the spirit of Ponggal festival.

Its preparation and consumption bring people together, fostering a sense of community and reinforcing the cultural values associated with the harvest season.

As families gather around to share this delightful dish, they not only savour its taste but also partake in the collective joy and gratitude that Ponggal brings.

Paal ponggal, therefore, is not just a dish – it is a celebration of life, prosperity and the eternal cycle of nature.

Paal ponggal

Ingredients

200g raw rice

2 tsp ghee

1 litre milk

150g sugar or jaggery

1 tsp cardamom, crushed

Tempering

4 tbsp ghee

30g cashew nuts

30g cranberries or raisins

5 pods whole cardamom

Method

Rinse rice in water and soak in cold water for 20 minutes before draining.

Soak rice in water for 20 minutes, then drain.

Cook with milk and ghee in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes. Mash with a wooden spoon and stir in sugar or jaggery and crushed cardamom.

Pound cardamom pods in a mortar-and-pestle to extract the seeds.

Heat ghee to medium and fry cashew nuts until golden and crispy.

Remove cashews from the heat and reserve a few for garnish.

Fry cranberries or raisins in ghee until they plump up.

In the same ghee, fry raisins or cranberries until plump, remove from the heat and reserve a few for garnish.

Then (in the same ghee), temper whole cardamoms until glossy and reserve together with melted ghee for garnish.

Stir cashews and raisins into the mashed rice, then scoop out into a serving bowl or ramekin.

Garnish with the reserved cashews, raisins and cardamom, with a drizzle of the aromatised melted ghee, and serve while still hot.
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PAAL ponggal is a traditional South Indian dish that holds great significance during festive celebrations, particularly the harvest festival of Ponggal.