Sounds a bit like a funny smell! 

Well in Tamil Nadu where Chennai (formerly Madras) is (Kayden's home town), Pongal is a harvest festival. Pongal goes for 3-4 days around the 14th of January. In 2023 Pongal goes from Sunday the 15th of January til Wednesday the 18th of January, so we decided to create a menu for delivery or pick up on Sunday the 15th showcasing Pongal. Click here to check out the menu.

I have also written an article about my experience celebrating Pongal and learning about the different versions of Pongal when I lived in India.

Click here to read about my experience with Pongal in Bangalore, India. 

Pongal is also the name of several dishes that are eaten at Pongal time. There is  a savoury dish called Ven Pongal which is on the menu this week is made with rice, lentils (moong dhal), fresh ginger and other spices.. Pongal in the Tamil language means to boil.   This dish is usually served with Sambar and coconut-based chutneys. There is also a sweet version of Pongal which contains jaggery  (unrefined sugar). 

Pongal is traditionally a Hindu festival and is dedicated to Surya the sun God. To mark the festival, the pongal sweet dish is prepared, first offered to the gods and goddesses (goddess Pongal), followed sometimes with an offering to cows, and then shared by the family. Some celebrations for the Pongal festival include decorating cows and their horns, ritual bathing and processions.⁼It is traditionally an occasion for decorating rice-powder based kolan artworks, offering prayers in the home, temples, getting together with family and friends, and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of solidarity. 

To learn more about the history and culture of Pongal, this is an indepth article by DBS Jeyaraj you may like to read. 

And of course sharing all the versions of Pongal along with Sambar, Idli's, Coconut Chutney and Lemon Rice. Have we tempted you? 

An excellent recipe for making your own Pongal at home can be found here on Swathi's website https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/pongal-recipe-venn-pongal/

Comment below on how you spent your Pongal Festival, or let us know if you tried Sweet or Savoury Pongal?