Course Breakfast Serving temperature Warm or Room Temperature | ||
Variations Chakkara pongal, venn pongal, melagu pongal, puli pongal Similar Rice, Sambar, Idli, Vada, Dosa | ||
Pongal is a popular rice dish in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh , Telangana and Sri Lanka. In Tamil the root "pong" or in Telugu "pongu" means to " boil over" or "spill over".
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There are two varieties of pongal, Chakkara Pongal which is a sweet, and Venn Pongal, made from clarified butter. The unqualified word pongal usually refers to spicy pongal, and is a common breakfast food in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The rice boiled with milk and jaggery during the Pongal festival is called Chakkara pongal - this is sweet pongal made specially in earthenware pots with a wood fire.
Chakkara pongal
Chakkara pongal (literally sweet pongal) is generally prepared in temples as a prasadam, (an offering made to a deity). This type of pongal is also made during Pongal / Sankranti in Tamil Nadu , Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, India.
Ingredients can include rice, coconut and mung bean. Sakarai pongal is traditionally sweetened with jaggery, which gives the pongal a brown colour, though it can be sweetened with white sugar instead.
Venn pongal
Venn (Old Tamil word for white) pongal is a popular dish in South Indian homes and is typically served as a special breakfast in parts of South India, especially Tamil Nadu , Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Melagu pongal
Melagu pongal is a spicy variant made with pepper, rice and moong daal.
Puli pongal
Puli pongal is a variant that is made with tamarind and boiled rice. It is not specifically associated with the Pongal festival and is often eaten for dinner.
Festive importance
Every January, Tamils and Telugus celebrate the harvest festival Thai Pongal / Sankranti during which Pongal is made.