Sankranthi and ‘pongal’ are synonymous and the festival is incomplete without this traditional food. Apart from the sweet and ‘khara pongal’, traditional curries, ‘palya’ and ‘chikki’, come to your mind instantly. Here are some easy-to-try recipes, with a twist, that will make you feel nostalgic and indulge in festive fervour, writes Vijaylakshmi Reddy
Navane (Foxtail)
Khara Pongal
Ingredients
Moong dal : ½ cup
Navane ½ cup soaked for 2 hours
Ginger 1” chopped
Green chillies chopped : 4
Oil : 4 tbsp
Ghee : 1tbsp
Cashew : 25 gms (fried in ghee)
Copra : ¼ cup
(To roast and powder) Black pepper whole : 1 tsp; Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Seasoning mustard seeds little
Curry leaves & Salt
Whole red chillies : 2
Few pepper corns
Few cumin seeds
Method: Pressure cook navane, moong dal, green chillies, and ginger with salt and three cups of water for three whistles and cool. Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Add seasoning ingredients and a pinch of hing. Add to the pongal, add fried cashew copra and mix well.
Sweet Navane Pongal
Ingredients
Navane rice : ½ cup (soaked for two hours),
Moong dal : ½ cup (roasted in 1 tbsp ghee)
Cardamom powder : ½ tsp
Pacha karpoora : pinch
Ghee : ½ cup
Cloves : 2
Cashew and raisins: 50 gms (fried in ghee)
Milk : 1 cup & Copra :½ cup
Method: Heat one tablespoon ghee in a cooker and add drained navane. Fry it for two minutes, add milk, two cups of water, cloves, pacha karpoora, ¼ cup ghee and pressure cook for two whistles. Cool it post this. Take ¾th cup powdered jaggery in a pan and add two tbsp water and boil strain. Add jaggery syrup to the cooked pongal and cook well. If it’s too thick, add more milk. Lastly, add cashew, raisins and copra in the remaining ghee & cook.
Field beans curry
Ingredients
Field beans de-husked : ¼ kg
Onion : 1 chopped
Black brinjal : 3 cut into big pieces
Tomato : 2 chopped
Oil : 2 tbsp
For paste: coconut ½ cup,
Ginger :1” piece
Garlic :6 flakes
Cloves : 2
Cinnamon : 1 piece
Dhania powder : 2 tsp
Turmeric powder : ¼ tsp
Poppy seeds : 2 tsp
Roasted gram : 1 tbsp
Make a fine paste with water
Add 10 green chillies & salt
Method: Heat oil in a cooker, add mustard seeds, one onion chopped, red chillies and a few curry leaves. Fry it well. Add tomato, brinjal, the paste and field beans. Add two to three cups of water and salt. Pressure cook for one whistle.
Tapioca (Maragenesu) palya
Ingredients
Tapioca : ¼ kg (cut into small pieces); Needed for paste : Coconut : ½ cup; Green chillies : 4
Method: In a pan, heat two tablespoons of oil and add mustard seeds, one teaspoon of chana dal, one teaspoon urad dal, two chopped onions, little turmeric powder and two red chillies. Fry well. Add chopped tapioca, salt and the paste, ¼ cup water & cook till dry.
White Til Chikki
Ingredients
White til roasted - 100 gms
Jaggery powder - ½ cup
Method: In a pan melt jaggery with one tablespoon water. Cook it till it dissolves and strain. Transfer to a pan. Add til and cook for two minutes. Pour on to a greased plate, roll it slightly and cool well. Cut into pieces.
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