Pongal Sappadu - Pongal Meals - Tamil Festive Meal

Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamilnadu. A Chakkara Pongal (sweet pongal) is prepared on the Pongal Morning. Read more about the celebration and specific recipes here. This post is for the meal served for lunch.

Pongal Recipes here

The banana leaf is usually used to serve Feast. The top portion is used to serve different curries and bottom side is used for rice, sambar, snacks, payasam etc. The leaf usually used should be the end leaf (nuni ela) with the smaller end on the left of the person sitting in front. 
The order of serving

On the top from right to left - Thayir Pachadi, Sweet Pachadi, Poriyal(s), Kootu, Urugai(Pickle)
On the bottom payasam at the right corner. rice in the middle (with paruppu, sambar, nei etc), on the left corner - Appalam, Medhu Vadai

I have a lot of recipes in my blog. But still not the complete collection. I will update this page as and when I post all the recipes.

Meal I served in 2014 for Pongal. I cooked this meal with a friend and totally enjoyed the experience.

Also check this post for another meal I served for Tamil New Year last year.



Pongal Special -
         Chakkara Pongal

Thayir Pachadi (called Kichadi in Kerala)
Thayir Pachadi is basically yogurt based raita kind of dish.

1. Vendakka Kichadi
2. Pavakka Kichadi
3. Beetroot Kichadi

Sweet Pachadi 

Pachadi is a slightly sweet and tangy dish. Served in small portion. No recipes yet I am afraid

Jackfruit Pachadi

Manga Pachadi

Ethapazha Pachadi
Pineapple Pachadi

Poriyal

Poriyal is a vegetable dry side dish cooked with (and sometimes without) coconut. Typical options are cabbage, beans, carrot, vazhakka thought the options are many

1. Cabbage Thoran
2. Vazhakka Thoran
3. Carrot Peas Thoran
4. Red Cabbage Thoran
5. Potato Fry 
6. Spicy Kathirikka Kari
7. Simple Carrot Curry 
8. Easy Vendakka Fry
9. Beans mizhukkuvaratti
10. Payaru mizhukkuvaratti

Kootu 

This is a gravy side made usually with a single vegeatable and a dal. The dal vegetable combo is usually fixed (and is followed in a family).

1. Podalanga Kootu / Podavalanga Kootu
2. Mixed Vegetable Kootu
3. Chow Chow Kootu

Urugai (pickle) 

1. Mango Pickle
2. Lemon Achar

Kozhambu Varieties 

Typically in a Meal, a little paruppu (cooked and mashed toor dal with a little salt) is added to the leaf. Rice is added on top of that. Followed by Sambar, Rasam and Mooru. But I have listed below for anyone who wants the recipe

1. Arachu Vitta Mullangi Sambar
2. Sambar with ground masala

Rasam Varieties

1. Kalyana Rasam
2. Mysore Rasam
3. Lemon Rasam
4. Jeeraga Milagu Rasam (Cumin-Pepper Rasam)
5. Tomato Rasam

Payasam 

The most interesting part of any feast. The sweeties... Pal payasam and Vella payasam are the two categories. Pal payasam though refers to the milk and rice payasam could refer to all payasams made with milk. Vella Payasams are not usually that popular in Tamil Nadu. But sometimes made.It has jaggery and coconut milk. 

1. Carrot Semiya Payasam
2. Pal Payasam
3. Badam Semiya Payasam
4. Paruppu Pradaman (Channa Dal)
5. Paruppu Pradaman (Moong Dal)

Vadai

Medhu Vadai