The festival of Pongal is going to be celebrated tomorrow on January 14^th, the same day when we celebrate Makar Sankranti in North India. Pongal is a three- day festival that welcomes the new harvest of the season. It is the time to rejoice, be grateful and get along with the festive spirit. With Pongal round the corner, it is also the time for culinary delight. Many traditional delicacies are made throughout the country to mark the festival of harvest, especially by the Tamil and Telugu speaking households. For an abundant feasting, here is a list of 5 must have dishes for Pongal celebrations:

Sweet Pongal

The sweet and savory Pongal is a dish made up of rice, lentils, ghee, cashews and cardamom powder. To make the Pongal sweet, jaggery is added, which is the best natural sweetener. For the savory touch, pepper and cumin is added to the rice and lentils. The Sweet Pongal is known by the names of Chakkara Pongali in Telugu and Sakkarai Pongal in Tamil. It is a traditional dish that our ancestors used to make as a symbol of abundance and prosperity after the harvest. It is offered to Gods on some special occasions and festivals.

When the dish is prepared on Pongal, it is first offered as Naivedyam to the Sun God as a form of thanksgiving ritual. And many traditional households prepare the Sweet Pongal every Tuesdays and Fridays. So just make it a part of the delicious festive treat.

Ven Pongal

The South Indian dish is made with rice and moong dal. It can be made sweet or savory. The savory version of the Pongal is the Ven Pongal or the Khara Pongal. It is savory because of the added flavors of ghee, curry leaves, black pepper, ginger. Cumin and asafoetida.  The Tamil word ‘Ven’ means white and ‘Pongal’ means to bubble up and overflow that is the symbol of abundance. Despite being a festive dish, the Ven Pongal is light for the stomach. It tastes best when served with Chutney, Sambhar or Pongal Gotsu. Not only during Pongal, the dish is also eaten during Navaratri when it is offered to Goddess Durga and Lakshmi. And who doesn’t want to have it even on the normal days!

Rice Payasam

The Rice Payasam is a pudding traditionally made in South India with rice, milk and jaggery. It is also known with the names of Bellam Paramannam, Ksheerannam or Annam Payasam. Rice Payasam is seasoned with ghee fried cashews, raisins and sliced copra, i.e. dried coconut. It can be said as a resemblance of the traditional North Indian dessert, Kheer. But, the amount of ghee and jaggery give it a unique touch.

Another version of the Rice Payasam is the Bellam Pongali, which is made adding the moong dal to the rice.   

Bisi Bele Bath

This special traditional spicy dish comes from the state of Karnataka. The Bisi Bele Bath is made up of rice, lentils and vegetables, added with authentic South Indian spices and nuts. For real magic, the Bisi Bele bath powder is also added to the dish. If we break down the three Kannada terms of the dish, it means hot lentil rice.

The tamarind gives a unique flavor to the Bisi Bele bath. It is also known with the name of Bisi Bele Huliyanna. Do not miss this real spicy rice dish this Pongal!

Medu Vada (Garelu)

The crispy and crunchy donut shaped Medu Vada is all things yum and is the ultimate Pongal feast. These fried lentil fritters are soft on the inside; the fluff makes it real smooth. The term Vada is said to have been derived from the Sanskrit word Vataka and the dish is said to have been eaten as far as 500 BC. However, the term Medu means soft and the Vada stands for crispy fritters.

The Medu Vada is also known as Garelu, Uddina Vade, Ulundhu Vadai and Uzhunnu. It is now a staple in most of the South Indian households. So, add some crisp and crunch to your Pongal cuisine.

Apart from the top dishes mentioned above, there are some sweet delights consumed during the Pongal festival. The Unniyappam, Poornam Boorelu, Maladu, Sabudana Payasam, Rava kheer and many other sweet dishes are savored across the country, especially in South India. thus, make sure you do not miss the best of Pongal in 2025!