No sumptuous meal, in most Indian homes, is complete without rice. The diet-conscious may give it a go-by, but even they will agree that dal-chawal or rasam-rice (with a drop of ghee) is one of the tastiest dishes in the world.
The most important crop in India, an agriculture-based civilisation, is rice. In fact, rice is a synonym for food here and archaeological evidence dates rice cultivation back to 6,000-9,000 years. Did you know that newly-harvested rice was never eaten in days gone by? It was stored for at least three years before it was considered healthy.
It is quite likely that our mothers and grandmothers knew a great deal about what nutritionists all over the world are propounding today — combine complex carbohydrates with protein for a complete meal. Legumes (lentils, beans and peas included) are a wonderful source of protein, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin B and iron. They are also rich in dietary fibre, which helps in lowering cholesterol. And when we combine rice and legumes, we arrive at a dish linked with the South Indian festival, Pongal. It is interesting to note that the dish must have evolved keeping nutrition in mind, though not much is known about its origins. Pongal literally means ‘boiling over’ of milk, rice and lentils.
Traditionally, this dish is made during the harvest festival which falls in mid-January. Today, however, the salted version is a popular breakfast dish served in various avatars across the country.
In many homes, green gram or husked moong dal — which is not only nourishing, but also easy to digest — is used to make the dish. Its essential nature is alkaline, so much so that Ayurveda categorises it as a “cooling food.”
For the sweet pongal, an essential ingredient is jaggery, a derivative of sugarcane. It offers nutrients like iron, calcium and vitamin B2. So, add rice, moong dal, jaggery, some nuts, raisins and elaichi, and voila, you have chakkara pongal!
The writer is the author of five cookbooks on South Indian cuisine.
