Pongal And Makar Sankranti: Traditional South Indian Recipes To Celebrate The Harvest

Last Updated:January 14, 2026, 09:38 IST

Celebrate Pongal and Makar Sankranti with traditional South Indian recipes like sweet pongal, ven pongal, ellu sadham, adhirasam, and kootu, curated by a professional chef.

Celebrate this Pongal with love, gratitude, and happiness, making every moment a memory to cherish forever. (Image: AI-generated)

As harvest festivals go, Pongal and Makar Sankranti are deeply rooted in gratitude towards the sun, the land, and the rhythms of nature that sustain us. Food lies at the heart of these celebrations, with dishes that are nourishing, symbolic, and steeped in tradition. From the sweetness of jaggery and rice to the warmth of ghee, pepper, and lentils, each recipe reflects abundance, balance, and seasonal wisdom.

These festive preparations are as much about technique as they are about emotion. “Pongal dishes are meant to be simple yet soulful,” explains Owaize Ahmed Khan. “They rely on humble ingredients, slow cooking, and careful tempering to bring out depth of flavour without excess.” Whether sweet or savoury, each dish celebrates rice, lentils, coconut, and sesame, ingredients that nourish the body while honouring tradition. Here are classic recipes, streamlined for the modern kitchen, yet faithful to their roots.

Sweet Pongal (Sakkarai Pongal) recipe by Owaize Ahmed Khan, Executive Chef, Novotel Bengaluru Outer Ring Road

Ingredients

Raw rice – ½ cup

Moong dal – ¼ cup

Jaggery – ¾ to 1 cup (grated)

Water – 3½ to 4 cups

Ghee – 3 tbsp

Cashew nuts – 10–12

Raisins – 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Dry ginger powder – ¼ tsp (optional)

Method

Roast the moong dal lightly and wash it along with the rice. Pressure cook both until soft and mushy. Melt jaggery with a little water, strain, and simmer briefly. Add the cooked rice-dal mixture and mix well. Stir in cardamom and ginger powder. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee, add to the pongal, and simmer until glossy. Serve hot.

Ven Pongal (Khara Pongal) recipe by Owaize Ahmed Khan, Executive Chef, Novotel Bengaluru Outer Ring Road

Ingredients

Raw rice – 1 cup

Moong dal – ½ cup

Water – 4–5 cups

Ghee – 3 tbsp

Black pepper – 1½ tsp (crushed)

Cumin seeds – 1½ tsp

Ginger – 1 tbsp (chopped)

Green chillies – 2 (slit)

Curry leaves – 10–12

Cashew nuts – 10

Method

Dry roast the moong dal lightly. Cook rice and dal together until soft and mushy. Heat ghee, fry cashews until golden, and set aside. In the same ghee, add pepper, cumin, ginger, green chillies, and curry leaves. Mix this tempering into the pongal, garnish with cashews, and serve hot.

Ellu Sadham (Sesame Rice) recipe by Owaize Ahmed Khan, Executive Chef, Novotel Bengaluru Outer Ring Road

Ingredients

Cooked rice – 3 cups

Black sesame seeds – 3 tbsp

Dry red chillies – 4–5

Urad dal – 1 tbsp

Chana dal – 1 tbsp

Tamarind pulp – 1 tbsp

Gingelly oil – 3 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Method

Dry roast sesame seeds and grind coarsely. Heat gingelly oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, and red chillies. Stir in tamarind pulp, salt, and sesame powder. Add cooked rice, mix gently, and serve warm.

Adhirasam

Ingredients

Raw rice – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1 cup

Water – ¼ cup

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Dry ginger powder – ¼ tsp

Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp

Oil – for frying

Method

Soak rice, drain, and dry slightly before grinding into a fine flour. Melt jaggery with water, strain, and boil to soft-ball consistency. Add flour, spices, and sesame seeds to form a dough. Rest overnight. Shape into discs and deep fry on medium heat until golden.

Traditional South Indian Kootu recipe by Owaize Ahmed Khan, Executive Chef, Novotel Bengaluru Outer Ring Road

Ingredients

Vegetable (bottle gourd/snake gourd/cabbage/ash gourd) – 2 cups (chopped)

Cooked chana dal or moong dal – ½ cup

Grated coconut – ½ cup

Green chillies – 2

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

For Tempering

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Dry red chilli – 1

Curry leaves – few

Method

Cook vegetables with turmeric, salt, and little water until tender. Add cooked dal and mix. Grind coconut, green chillies, and cumin into a coarse paste and stir into the mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Prepare tempering and pour over the kootu. Mix gently and serve hot with rice.

Chef’s Tips:

Kootu should be semi-thick

Avoid boiling after adding coconut paste

A pinch of asafoetida aids digestion

Jaffna Pukkai Pongal by Sunil Kumar Panduranga Raj, Executive Sous Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Ingredients

Red rice – 350 g

Yellow moong dal – 150 g

Jaggery (grated) – 150 g

Milk – 5 litres

Ghee – 100 g

Cashew nuts – 20 nos

Raisins – 20 nos

Cardamom powder – 2 g

Pandan leaf – 1

Water – 4 tbsp (for jaggery)

Method

Wash the red rice and moong dal. Soak the rice for 4 hours, then drain.

Transfer rice and dal to a pressure cooker. Add milk, ghee, and pandan leaf.

Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Allow pressure to release naturally.

In a pan, melt the jaggery with 4 tbsp water to form a syrup. Strain if needed.

Heat ghee in another pan and roast cashews and raisins until golden.

Add the jaggery syrup and cardamom powder to the cooked rice mixture and mix well.

Finish by adding roasted cashews and raisins.

Serve hot.

Chettinadu Millet Pongal with Long Pepper by Sunil Kumar Panduranga Raj, Executive Sous Chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Ingredients

Foxtail millet – 350 g

Moong dal – 150 g

Whole long pepper (coarsely crushed) – 2–3 pcs

Black pepper – 5 g

Cumin seeds – 10 g

Ginger (julienned or grated) – 10 g

Curry leaves – a few sprigs

Ghee – 100 g

Water – 1.5 litres

Salt – to taste

Method

Wash foxtail millet and moong dal together.

Cook with water and salt until soft and porridge-like in consistency.

Heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.

Add ginger, curry leaves, crushed long pepper, and black pepper. Sauté until aromatic.

Pour the tempering over the cooked millet-dal mixture and mix well.

Adjust consistency with water if required and simmer for 2–3 minutes.

Serve hot, finished with a drizzle of ghee.

These dishes together form a complete festive spread balanced, comforting, and deeply symbolic, perfect for celebrating the spirit of Pongal and Makar Sankranti.