Happy Makar Sankranti 2025: Mouthwatering Pongal Recipe For An Unforgettable Harvest Festival

As we welcome the harvest festival of 2025, let’s embrace the spirit of renewal by preparing wholesome and delicious dishes to nourish our body, mind, and soul after a year of dedication and hard work.

To honour this special occasion celebrated across various regions of India, we bring you a traditional Tamil Nadu dish that holds a special place in the Pongal festivities. Interestingly, the dish shares its name with the festival itself, Pongal.

Food blogger Anjali Harikumar shared an Instagram video in August 2022, demonstrating how to prepare this traditional delicacy. She describes the dish as, “A wholesome, comforting meal made from rice, moong dal, ghee, and aromatic spices. Pongal perfectly embodies the simplicity and richness of Tamil cuisine. It’s not just a dish but a celebration of tradition, nourishment, and community, making it a must-have during the Pongal festival.”

Her video offers a step-by-step guide to recreating this classic recipe at home, ensuring an authentic taste of the harvest festival. Discover the recipe for a flavourful and comforting Pongal dish and make your harvest celebration truly unforgettable. 

Ingredients

Prepping the Rice and Lentils—

• ½ cup rice - any type of white rice 100 g
• ¼ cup moong dal split and peeled mung beans (60 grams)
• ½ tsp toasted ground cumin
• ⅛ tsp asafoetida thing
• 1 inch ginger chopped
• 4-5 cups water according to desired consistency
• Salt to taste

Tempering—

• 2 tbsp vegan ghee or avocado oil or any oil of your preference
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns whole or crushed
• 9-10 curry leaves
• 9-10 cashews halved

Instructions

Preparing the Rice and Lentils—

• Heat a small pan or a wok and toast the moong dal/lentils
• Keep the heat low and stir till they become aromatic
• Add the toasted lentils and rice to a bowl and rinse with water a couple of times
• Add the washed lentils and rice to a pressure cooker with 4-5 cups of water
• Then add cumin seeds, asafetida, chopped ginger, and salt to taste
• Pressure cook on a medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes
• Once all the pressure naturally leaves the cooker, remove the lid to check the consistency
• If the pongal looks dry and not slightly mushy, then add around 1/2 cup more boiling water and cook with an open lid for a bit longer.

Tempering—

• In another small pan, heat the oil or vegan ghee.
• Add the cumin seeds and let splutter.
• Add cashews and fry until the cashews become slightly golden
• As soon as it turns slightly golden, add the peppercorns and curry leaves
• Stir well and once the leaves look crispy, take it off the heat. Pour the tempering immediately into the Pongal
• Mix well and cover so that the flavors settle and infuse into the Pongal
• Remove the lid and serve with some coconut chutney or sambar. Enjoy!