Attukal Pongala 2024: How to make Pongala payasam at home? Check easy recipe HERE

Attukal Pongala is a renowned annual festival celebrated at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. During this festival, millions of women gather to prepare a special offering called "pongala," a sweet rice dish, as an offering to the presiding deity, Attukal Bhagavathy. It is one of the largest gatherings of women for a religious event in the world, and the festival holds immense cultural and spiritual significance in Kerala. This year, the Attukal Pongala falls on February 25.

The ritual of cooking the pongala begins early in the morning and continues until the offering is made to the goddess. The festival attracts thousands of devotees, creating a vibrant and spiritual atmosphere in the city.

How to make Pongala payasam at home?

Attukal pongala is made using payasam rice, known as 'puzhungalari' and jaggery known as 'sarkkara' and adding a little ghee and raisins.  Pongala is normally made using unused earthern pots in fire hearths. 

Ingredients:

Payasam rice - 1/2 kg

Jaggery crushed- 1/2 kg

Scraped coconut - 1

Cashew nuts - A handful

Raisins - A handful

Cardamom crushed - 8 or 10 ( or as needed )

Small banana(Rasakadali or palayamkodan) sliced - 4

Bay leaves - 3 or 4

Ghee - 2 tablespoon or as needed

Method of preparation:

1. Take the water required for making payasam. It should be noted that payasam should be thick. So take care to take enough water. You can add water later also. Boil the water.

2. When the water boils, add the cleaned rice. No need to stir it now.

3. Stir the rice thoroughly and cook it once it begins to boil. Rice can burn if it settles at the bottom, so always exercise carefully. Cook it thoroughly and stir it at least once every five to ten minutes. The water ought to have been absorbed nearly entirely. If you find any water in it, you should still evaporate it entirely.

4. Add jaggery to it and stir continuously in low flame for 3 minutes. When jaggery melts, it will add extra moisture to the payasam.

5. Add crushed cardamom, ghee and coconut and stir continuously.

6. Add sliced banana, cashew nuts, raisins, and bay leaves to it and mix well. Put the flame off.