HAPPY PONGAL!
Wishing everybody happy pongal / sankaranthi...:) pongal is celebrated 5 days in tamilnadu its a way of thanks giving festival and also know as harvest festival. we normally start the festival by praying to the sun / surya pujai we'll use new earthen pot (chatti) to prepare the pongal.
First day before we start pongal puja we would clean our house and burn all old things which are waste items like old broomstick old bedsheets practically any material which is of no use would be burnt this is called as boghi by 4am we would start burning old items before sunrise. after boghi we would have a bath and do puja and start to shop for new clothes, sugarcane, bettel nut and leafs, different types of vegetables and fruits most important and should buy items are flowers, peanuts, pumpkin, earthen pot, ginger and turmeric shoots and sweet potato.
Second day women and girls would clean the front yard of the house and draw wonderful rangoli / kolam patterns filled with all rainbow colors inviting good fortune and grand welcome for family and friends. small bonfire would be lit by the male members of the family to start preparing pongal the women meanwhile would finish doing ganesh and lakshmi puja and will decorate the earthen pot with turmeric paste and vermillion then fill the pot with washed rice and dal and head to the bon fire decorate the bon fire area with sugar cane ginger and turmeric shoots and draw rangoli and would start preparing pongal placing the pot on the fire the entire pongal making ceremony should be completed with in 10am as they prepare the pongal normally the rice and dal would boil and froth to the brim of the pot this is auspicious every body will start shouting pongal o pongal which means the festival has started with a good sign.
Then everybody would hurry up and start preparing different varieties of vegetables, rice,rasam,papdam,vada etc after cooking they would carry all the dishes back to the bonfire and decorate all the dishes on top of a banana leaf and serve to the sun god by 12 in the noon the puja and offering for sun god should be done by 12 noon every one would do surya pujai if they are a farmer they would also decorate their harvest for the puja.
Third day is mattu pongal where in working cows and cattle are washed and decorated to put up a big show they are then taken to the local village gathering to show of their cows. best looking and most decorated cows have a cash prize after the show there is jallikattu where in wild bulls are released in the village streets with cash rewards tied on top of their horns its like the festival in spain where in every body will chase the bull and the one who catches the bull and clams it down wins the cash reward.
Fourth day kaanum pongal is a day out for every one we would offer puja to ancisters and also visit old people and offer them gifts and cash. old people would bless us and also give us gifts my granny always used to get me ribbons and sweets kids are the ones who enjoy kaanum pongal as they get more gifts from elders.
Fifth day we would all visit temple an return home from our village wishing our uncles and aunts for good fortune and health to flow and to return back to our village the next year to celebrate this wonderful festival however nowadays villages have changed to mega cities and sky scrapers adoring modern India there is no space left for families to gather and celebrate our younger generation should have to compromise and celebrate according to apartment standards.
I'd planned for a huge cookout with friends however we were unable to gather and celebrate pongal which dampened my spirits a bit but at least I'm happy that i can share my carrot payasam with my blog friends and youtube friends for pongal its healthy and tasty I've added my own twist to a payasam recipe hope you all try my recipe and enjoy...:)
Ingredients:
100 Grams Carrots (roughly cubed)
2 Cups Skimmed Milk
1 1/2 Cups Water
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Milk Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Badam Milk Powder
1 Pods Cardamom
5 Almonds
5 Cashew nuts
10 Raisins
Lets Prepare:
- Using a heavy bottom pot add the water and bring to a boil tip in the roughly chopped carrots and cook till well done.
- Add the cooked carrots to a blender and prepare a puree set aside.
- In the same pot add milk sugar and cardamom pods and bring to a boil add the carrot puree to the milk mix well and place the flame to medium high.
- Once the payasam is boiling tip in the milk powder and badam mix and allow to reduce keep stirring constantly to a thick pudding consistency.
- Chop the nuts into small pieces.
- tip in the nuts and raisins into the carrot payasam serve hot or cold...Enjoy...:)
I've done detail recipe demo on youtube do watch enjoy and try my recipe out...:)