Pongal is an important festival in Tamil Nadu. It’s a four-day celebration that falls in the month of January, according to the Gregorian calendar. Known also as Thai Pongal, the festival is centred on the Sun God, Surya, appreciating the deity for the season’s produce. The first day of Pongal – which falls on January 15 this year – marks the transition of the sun into the Uttarayan phase. And like any other Indian festival, Pongal is not complete without its food. Here’s a list of mouth-watering delicacies prepared and relished on the festival. Pongal 2019 Calendar: Know Dates And Significance of the Harvest Festival Celebrated in Tamil Nadu.

1 Ven Pongal

The delicacy and the festival share the same name. Ven Pongal is a dish made of rice, lentils and ghee, served as a breakfast dish. The dish is prepared by cooking dal and rice together and adding a tempering of ghee and nuts. Here’s how you can make ven Pongal at home.

2 Sweet Pongal

For those who have a sweet tooth and don’t fancy the savoury ven pongal, there’s the sweet pongal. Made of rice, moong daal, ghee and jaggery, sweet pongal is flavoured with cardamom. Although the dish is associated with pongal, the sweet dish is available throughout the year in restaurants. Here’s a quick recipe for sweet pongal.

3 Puliogare or Tamarind Rice

Tamarind rice is a crowd-pulling dish that appeals to every taste bud. Known also as puliogare, the rice is flavoured with tamarind, peanuts and other spices. If you are tired of cooking pulao, you can always try something different like puliogare.

4 Thair Sadam or Curd Rice

Thair sadam or curd rice is a dish made of two primary ingredients, curd and rice. The dish is prepared by mixing the two and finishing it off with a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.

5 Tomato Rice

Tomato rice, as the name suggests, is rice cooked in a tomato base. The result is a tangy-sweet dish that doesn’t need any accompaniments apart from pappadams.

6 Rasam

No meal is complete without this liquid deliciousness. The humble rasam is served with meals as an appetiser and to aid digestion. If you love this dish and can’t figure out how to make it, here’s a basic recipe for the rasam.

So these are some of the dishes served on Pongal. While they are the traditional fare associated with the festival, you don’t have to wait for Pongal to try them out. So Happy Cooking and Happy Pongal to each of you!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2019 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).