Story by Abhi KrishIllustrations by Abhishikta Dutta

sTolEmoNgAL

poNgAL

oo

TRIVIA

PONGAL

Pongal is a thanksgiving festival for

the Sun God

The sun is what makes nature grow

and thrive

Pongal is held in January every year in

the Tamil calendar month of ' Thai '

This is the season when rice, cereal,

turmeric and sugarcane are harvested

The above items are prominently used

during the Pongal celebrations

PONGAL

An enjoyable part of the Pongal

festival is making a sweet dish called

“Pongal”

Rice, milk and sugar are combined in

a pot. As the milk starts to boil and

overflow, families come together and

joyously cheer “Pongalo Pongal!”

The overflowing of the pot

represents abundance and prosperity.

Pongal also means to ‘boil over’

PONGAL

The 2nd day of Pongal is called

Maatu Pongal

Maatu (or maadu) is cow and the

day celebrates livestock such as

cows and goats that produce the

milk needed to make foods such as

cheese, yoghurt and ghee.

The cows and calves are decorated

in beautiful ornaments and then

are worshipped with thanks for all

that they give

PONGAL

The last day of Pongal is called

Kaanum Pongal

It is performed by the girls and

women of the house to pray for

good fortune and health of all in

the family

The sun is a large star

Sunlight makes plants grow

Sunlight helps our body make vitamin D, which is

important in keeping us strong and healthy

The sun is very hot

The sun is very far away from us. We cannot go

near the sun but we can pretend to catch it with a

net by using our imagination!

Looking at the sun directly will hurt our eyes

th

e S

UN

Did you know? Many of our favourite foods do not

grow on trees. Rather, they are made using the

fruits, vegetables and other natural products that

grow in nature.

Yoghurt, butter and cheese are made using milk

from cows and goats

Sugar is made from the sugar cane plant. Sugar is

used in making sweets, chocolate and desserts like

gulab jamun or cake.

ho

w is

f

oo

d

ma

de

?

Dosai, idly, pizza dough, parata, chapathi and bread

all need flour. Flour is made from grains (such as

rice, wheat or barley that are broken down into

fine powders.

Even noodles are made from grains!

The toppings that go on a pizza are made from

fruit (pineapple), vegetables (onions, capsicums,

tomatoes), animals (sausages, mince) and products

that come from animals (cheese).

ho

w is

f

oo

d

ma

de

?

Let's make Pongal!

What you need

1.5 cups raw rice

1 cup brown sugar/jiggery

1 tbsp cardamom powder

¼ cup raisins and cashew nuts

1.5 tbsps butter/ghee

Let's make Pongal!

Fry the cashew nuts and raisins in butter in a pan

Add 4.5 cups of water to a pot and allow it to heat

on a stove

Once the water boils, add in the rice to the pot

When the rice water starts to froth and boil over,

reduce the flame and shout PONGALO PONGAL!

Add the cardamom powder and sugar

Keep stirring until the mixture is thick

Switch off the flame and allow to cool

Enjoy!

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