Paal Pongal Recipe/Milk Pongal Recipe/Vellai Pongal – Pongal Special – All about Bhogi Pongal/Paal Pongal with step by step photos

Wishing you all a Very Happy Bhogi Pongal, Thai Pongal , Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. Iniya Uzhavar Thirunaal Vaazhthukkal

Bhogi festival is the first day of Pongal and is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, “the God of Clouds and Rains”. Lord Indra is worshipped for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty of prosperity to the land. It is also widely believed that Bhogi Pongal is the Indra Vizha festival observed during the Chola period. The first day of Pongal [Harvest festival] is the Bhogi Pongal is celebrated on the last day of the month of Margazhi.

On Bhogi Pongal, all the people clean their homes top to bottom, houses are painted, decorated, kolams drawn in front of the houses and burn all the unwanted things. It is a very fun filled event that happens early in the morning before the sun rises, the kids are given small drums and when the unwanted things are burned, the kids play the drums and welcome the “thai Pongal” which is celebrated the next day. But now people have totally misunderstood the real meaning of Bhogi and are burning rubber and plastic just for the sake of burning there by causing pollution. It is always said in Tamil Nadu that Bhogi is all about “Pazhaiyana Kazhidhallum Pudhiyana Pugudhallum” which actually means

Let’s burn all the useless superstitious thoughts in our mind and try to be more sensible.

Let’s burn all our enmity, vengeance, fear and try to love people more.

Let’s burn all our bad thoughts and become a new loving and a kind person.

Now coming to Paal Pongal, it is a very rich, creamy and delicious pongal made on Thai Pongal and also on Mattu Pongal. Paal Pongal is made with the fresh harvested rice along with milk and then offered to god with slices of bananas and a pinch of jaggery. Do check out how to make Sakkarai Pongal/Sweet Pongal, Ven Pongal, Vegetable Pongal,Ullundhu Vadai/Urad dal Vadai in the corresponding links.

Here’s how to make Paal Pongal with step by step photos…

Ingredients

Raw rice	1 cup
Milk	2 cups
Water	1 cups
Salt	One pinch

Cooking time: 45 minutes                                    Recipe Category: Pongal/Neivedhyam

Serves: 3-4                                                               Recipe Cuisine: Tamil Nadu, India

Author: Priya Anandakumar

Types of Pongal

Sakkarai Pongal/Sweet Pongal

Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisal-Sweet Pongal with Milk & Jaggery

Sakkarai Pongal In a Brass Pot

Karupatti Pongal/Palm Jaggery Pongal

Varagu Arisi Sakkarai Pongal/Millet Sweet Pongal
Kalkandu Pongal

Ven Pongal

Varagu Arisi VenPongal/Kodo Millet Pongal
Vegetable Pongal/Vegetable Kaara Pongal [with Video]

Paal Pongal

Rava Pongal/Sooji Pongal

Vadai Varieties

Ullundhu Vadai/Urad Dal Vadai [with onions]

Ullundhu Vadai/Urad Dal Vadai [without onions]

Masala Vadai/Paruppu Vadai

Keerai Masala Vadai/Masala Vadai with Keerai

Thayir Vadai/Curd Vadai

Thavala Vadai

Keerai Vadai with Urad Dal/Spinach Vadai

Check out different types of traditional Payasam Varieties here

Method

Boil milk and water in a heavy bottomed vessel.

Wash the rice thoroughly at least three times with water and drain it. Add the rice to the boiling milk.

Cook the rice in milk in medium flame until all the milk is absorbed and rice is really soft. If needed add more water to cook the rice softer. Keep stirring in between to avoid any burning of rice.

Now add a pinch of salt and mash the rice really well and switch off the stove.

Yummy, delicious and creamy Paal Pongal/Milk Pongal/Vellai Pongal is ready.

Offer it to god with sliced bananas and a small pinch of jaggery or serve it hot as such.

Thank you all for visiting my blog, please come back again for more authentic and traditional dishes of Tamil Nadu.

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