Pongal (dish)#Sakkarai pongal
{{short description|Indian rice dish}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{For|the festival|Pongal (festival)}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Pongal
| image = Pongal or Pongali being cooked in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Pongal cooking in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India
| alternate_name =
| region = South India
| national_cuisine = Tamil cuisine
| creator =
| course =
| served =
| main_ingredient = Rice, milk
| variations = Venn pongal, sakkarai pongal, kozhi pongal, sanyasi pongal
| calories =
| other =
}}
Pongal ({{lit|to boil over}}) is a South Indian and Sri Lankan dish of rice cooked in boiling milk.{{cite book|last=Verma|first=Priyanka|date= 2014|title=Pongal: Festival Of India|url={{Google books|_R8WBQAAQBAJ|page=PP4|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd|pages=4}}{{cite book|last=Shanmugalingam|first=Cynthia|date=2022|title=Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka|url={{Google books|U6VqEAAAQBAJ|page=PAPA210|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|pages=210}} Its preparation is the main custom associated with the Pongal festival. It is also eaten as a breakfast food.{{cite book|date= 2018|title=Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind: 100 Simple Sattvic Recipes|url={{Google books|GJJPDwAAQBAJ|page=PA261|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=Shambhala|pages=261}} A part of Tamil cuisine, varieties include venn (hot) pongal, sakkarai (sweet) pongal, kozhi (chicken) pongal, and sanyasi pongal. It has been described as "very dear to (the) Tamil people."
Significance
File:Stamp of India - 2017 - Colnect 805331 - Festival Pongal.jpeg
Pongal is associated with the Pongal festival, whose name means "to boil over" or "overflow." The festival thanks the Sun deity for the sunlight that makes the rice harvest possible. Therefore, the tradition calls for offering the fresh harvest of rice cooked in boiling milk to the deity. While the pongal is cooking, onlookers sometimes shout with joy, "Pongalo pongal!" ('Let the pongal rise up!').
Varieties
= ''Venn pongal'' =
File:Ven pongal with sambar and chutney.jpg
Venn or ven (hot) pongal has been described as a rice and lentil porridge similar to the South Asian staple khichdi. It is made with black pepper, ginger, turmeric, and sometimes asafoetida, cashews, cumin, curry leaves, ghee (clarified butter), mung beans, and salt. In South India, it is commonly eaten for breakfast with coconut chutney and Indian filter coffee.{{cite book|author=Monks Of Kauai Aadheenam|date=1997|title=Monks' Cookbook|url={{Google books|37d_EAAAQBAJ|page=PT91|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=Himalayan Academy Publications|pages=91–92}}{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Manali|date= 2018|title=Vegetarian Indian Cooking with Your Instant Pot: 75 Traditional Recipes That Are Easier, Quicker and Healthier|url={{Google books|8GtuDwAAQBAJ|page=PA93|plainurl=yes}}|publisher=Page Street Publishing|pages=93}}
= ''Sakkarai pongal'' =
= ''Kozhi pongal'' =
= ''Sanyasi pongal'' =
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Pongal (dish)}}
{{Indian Dishes}}
{{Lentil dishes}}
{{Rice dishes}}