Happy New Year and Happy Sankranthi to all my family and friends. The first post of 2018 is this Sweet Pongal / Rice pudding prepared for Sankranthi festival. Sankranthi celebrated all over India but with different names depending on the state and culture for over a period of 4 days. It marks the first day of sun’s transit into the  Capricorn, marking the end of the month with the winter solace and the start of longer days. It’s also called as Harvest festival where the first crop / rice is harvested .

Festivals are all about  family gatherings , celebrations ,food and memories associated with it .Growing up typically our day would begin with my dad waking us up at wee hrs in the morning, while mom starts   preparations in the kitchen . After multiple attempts, we would wake up and start by decorating the front yard with colorful Rangoli designs ,followed by dads pooja and Moms scrumptous food . After a heavy and delicious meal ,we would gather up on the rooftop & watch all the kids flying kites under the Sun . Mom would make lots of food, but I would eagerly wait for the sweet treats which are specially made during this festival.  Traditional sweet sesame-jaggery based ladoo and rice pudding / sweet pongal. Sweet pongal is always made with new rice and jaggery . Its mushy , soft with perfect amount of sweetness and some nutty crunch with cashews and dried coconut pieces. Heres a recipe. 

 

Thanks for stopping by .

Rajini