Sakkare Pongal - Makara Sankranti Special

Makara Sankranti is celebrated in the month of January on 14th or 15th date. This festival is celebrated in every state of India. This is also celebrated as lohri, Pongal, Bihu and different names in different parts of India. This is the time when the sun moves towards northern hemisphere. This time is known as uttarayan. The journey of the winter darkness decreases and it moves towards brightness. It is been followed that after Makara Sankranti it is a time to do good works as good days begins. It is a festival to worship the sun as the power of the sun increases from Uttarayan. In South India, Makara Sankranti is also celebrated as Pongal. During Sankranti, sesame, jaggery, coconut, and sugarcane are distributed, which means it is a festival that is shared from house to house.

Sankranti has many traditional dishes in South India like, poppy seeds kheer, sweet pongal, flatbean kheer, flatbean husali, peanuts and flat beans are baked, sweet potatoes are cooked, sugarcane is used, huggi, spicy pongal, peanut holige and so many other traditional dishes are prepared. These dishes are not only traditional, they are also scientific. When Uttarayan begins, the winter season is with sun rays and cold winds. When the sun, wind, and cold combine in this way, the dehydration in our body increases, which increases the dryness of the skin. Due to this, the water content in the body decreases and vata increases. In order to control vata and also to give the body a friendly element and make the skin radiant, we should follow a variety of foods during the winter season.

Scientifically, our traditional Sankranti dishes showcases what we should eat in this Shishir rutu. Sesame, jaggery, coconut and peanuts used in this season reduces vata and gives the body a friendly element. In this way, when the oiliness enters our body, it reduces vata and also ensures that our body does not lose water or hydration. Since the cold is increasing, the oiliness  is needed to support our body organs and to act as shock absorbers. "Winter heart attack" is very common, these foods helps to avoid such heart problems. The foods mentioned during the Sankranti festival are not limited to the festival only, we should follow them until the next two months or until the next festival, i.e, we should definitely follow them until Shivaratri.

Now we will give you more information about Sweet Pongal in the scientific foods of Sankranti. January is the time to harvest the grown crop and to the store the crops to dry which is grown during this time, whether it is rice, pulses, or millets. So Sankranti is a harvesting festival, where after the harvest everyone celebrates their yield. The Sweet Pongal also known as ‘SAKKARE PONGAL’ is a dish made using the rice and pulses which is harvested during this season. Pongal means boiling in Tamil, here sugar means jaggery is used, Sakkare Pongal is the dish that is boiled with jaggery.

Sakkare Pongal, as the name suggests, definitely does not add sugar to it, jaggery is used for this. Sakkare Pongal is a special dish in which rice, pulse, milk, and ghee is used. Cow's milk are generally used in this dish, but we should never mix cow's milk with any grains, as it is considered as viruddha ahara, incompatible food. Instead we can use coconut milk which not only improves health but also does not cause the side effects of eating the incompatible food.

You may have used cow's milk for so many years but now its time to change yourself and use coconut milk instead of cow's milk.

SAKKARE PONGAL - Recipe

Ingredients:

1. Rice 1 cup

2. Yellow mung dal 1/4 cup

3. Ghee 1/4 cup

4. Coconut milk 1/2 cup

5. Dry grapes & Cashew 1/4 cup

6. Jaggery 1 cup

7. Cardamom 1/4 teaspoon

Method of preparation:

Fry the rice and mung dal separately with little ghee. Then add three cups of water to it. Cook it in the pressure cooker until three to four whistles are heard. After the cooker cools down, remove the lid and mix it boiled rice and mung dal well.

In a pot, dissolve one cup of jaggery with two cups of water. After the jaggery dissolves, boil it for five minutes and strain and the strained jaggery syrup to cooked rice, mung dal and mix it well along with coconut milk.

In another small pot, add 2 tea spoons of ghee and golden fry cashew nuts and raisins, add this and quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder to the sweet pongal and mix well. Add remaining ghee on top.

The Sweet Pongal made in this way is very good for the body. Since it contains coconut milk and jaggery, it reduces vata and kapha very well. Since ghee is added along with rice and mung dal, it also reduces pitta.

This traditional food of Sankranti is very good for our body's health. We should make it once or twice a week in this season. Those who have diabetes can eat just one spoon, but for those who do not and those who suffer from Vata problems, can have it as mentioned.

For more information, contact Mahanasa Ayurveda, Bangalore.