Video of the Taman Universiti Sathya Sai Baba Centre celebrating pongal in 2007.

Two days ago, Tamil Indians all over celebrated the start of the Thai Pongal festival. The Thai Pongal is a harvest festival event which coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated in various other parts of India. Pongal in Tamil means “boiling over or spill over.” The act of boiling over of milk in the clay pot is considered to denote future wishes for the family.

Traditionally Thai Ponggal is celebrated at harvest time, it’s a celebration of the prosperity associated with the harvest by thanking the sun god, rain and the farm animals that have helped in the harvest. In villages, new clothes are worn and people owning cows find this festival more important.

The saying “Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum” (தை பிறந்தால் வழி பிறக்கும்) meaning “the birth of the month of Thai will pave the way for new opportunities” is often quoted regarding the Ponggal festival.

The Ponggal festival is at least 1000 years old although some believe that the festival is older. As per epigraphic evidence, it used to be celebrated as Puthiyeedu during Medieval Chola empire days. It is thought that Puthiyeedu meant the first harvest of the year. Tamils refer to Pongal as “Tamizhar Thirunal” (meaning “the festival of Tamils”).

The moment the rice boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, the tradition is to shout of “Ponggalo Ponggal!” and blowing the sangu (a conch), a custom practiced during the Ponggal festival to announce it was going to be a year blessed with good tidings. For Tamils, it is considered a good sign to watch it boil over, …since it means that good luck and prosperity is forthcoming.

Quoted from Mr. Sivakumar Varatharaju, the first ethnic Indian to become the speaker of a Malaysian legislative body.

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Jasmin says,

The cooking of milk in the claypot with a variety of ingredients is an important part of the Pongal tradition. The end result is the yummiest (eggless) rice dessert ever. Here an easy recipe which can be recreated at home over the stove.

Ingredients :

Rice – 1 cup
Fresh milk – 3 cups
Jaggery (A traditional Indian sweetener) or Brown sugar – 1/2 cup (I don’t like it so sweet but you can adjust to taste)
Cashew nuts – 1/4 cup
Raisins – 2 tbsp
1 Cardamom pod – pound the cardamom pod to get the seeds. Pound the seeds to powder using a mortar and pestle
Ghee (clarified butter) or butter if you can’t find ghee – 4 tbsp
A spash of Rose water (you can get this from an Indian or Middle Eastern grocery store or you can omit if you don’t have it)

Method :

1. Wash the rice.
2. Boil the milk, add rice.
3. Add sugar and stir for few minutes until sugar is dissolved. Add cardamoms powder, stir for few minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a frying pan, add the cashew nuts and raisins. Fry till fragrant.
5. Pour into the rice mixture. Add little rose water to the rice and stir gently. Keep simmer in low flame.
6. When the rice mixture looks like it’s almost dry, turn off the fire and close the lid for another 5 mins. The secret to this dish is that the dish is not sticky but shiny looking.
7. Serve hot.

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