The resounding cheers of Pongalo Pongal! are not far away, as people all over Tamil Nadu prepare to celebrate the harvest festival with abundant pomp and gaiety.
For any festival in our country, food that is appropriate to the tradition of the occasion is a predominant factor and, Pongal leads the roost with its ethnic recipes that are certain to have everyone salivating in anticipation.
So what are the trends being followed this season?
Chef S. Ashok Kumar of The Residency comments, “Pongal itself has five variants — sweet (akkaravadisal), chakkarai (using jaggery), venn(without sugar), karkandu and karumbu (sugarcane).
A Pongal recipe I’ve taken inspiration from, because of my Tirunelveli roots, is the vegetable kadambham — a kurma of sorts similar to Kerala’s avial.
Sodhi, which is a stew comprising of potatoes, green peas, lemon juice and milk, also goes well as a side dish.” He adds, “On the non-veg front, Naatu kozhi kozhambu and Irachi mutton sukka of Valiyur are extremely popular. Other traditional favourites include kothavarangai poriyal, maanga pachidi, thakkali thokku, vendakai kootu, etc. You can finish off the meal with an adhirasam poli or button jalebi!”
Pongal is a festival that is celebrated primarily at home or with the neighbourhood. We catch up with a prominent home-cook in Coimbatore, Mrs Parimala Sundari, for her thoughts.
“These days, vadai and payasam are proving to be big hits during Pongal. Vadai can be made out of diverse ingredients like jawarisi, carrot, vazhaipoo, pesara parrupu, cabbage, keerai and konda kadalai. With respect to payasams, the arisi thengai, semiya, jawarisi and godhumai rava varieties are most sought after. Also, a must in any Pongal kitchen is the mochai kottai kozhambu!”
Celebrity chefs too, have their own special recipes that they prepare as an ode to the festival, as Chef Dr K. Damodaran says, “My speciality is the sunda kozhambu that goes perfectly withkolukattais and Putharisi pongal, which is prepared in a mud pot. I use brinjal, banana, red pumpkin, sweet potatoes and some mustard with vinaigrette for the kozhambu.
He adds, “Graamathu meen curry and egg fry are also compulsory additions in most villages. The farmers place all these dishes before the Sun God, as an offering of thanks for the rich harvest.
Coconut, tamarind and lemon rice, garnished with cashews or peanuts, are delightful dishes — rice mixed with puli kachal (tamarind pulp) makes for a most appetising meal!"
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment