May your cup of joy overflow. It’s a saying we’ve read, heard, and expressed many times, but at Pongal in India I experienced a wonderful new interpretation.
The Tamil festival Pongal is a time of prayers for a happy, prosperous, and abundant future. In one of its rituals, a pot of food on the stove is literally made to overflow.
(The word Pongal itself means to boil over or overflow).
May we all have more than enough for our needs.
I was in search of adventure when I got a job as a Science teacher and moved to Bangalore, India. Physics teacher Jyoti (Jo) was an assigned first contact, and she soon became like a mum to me while I was there.
Our school had teachers from all over the world, so of course most of us had no idea of what Pongal was. Jyoti, our ‘cultural guide’, taught us about Indian festivals, about traditions like Rangolis, about mango varieties, and so much more.
I learned that Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated over four days in the south of India and in Sri Lanka (and in spots around the world like Melbourne where a lot of Tamilians have spread!)
At Pongal, Jo came to school with different bowls of food to share with us.
First, she showed us the dry mixture of mung dahl and jaggery which is used to make the most common sweet Pongal dish called Chakkara Pongal. To make this, milk and jaggery are boiled in a new clay pot and it’s allowed to boil over – this is seen as being auspicious as a sign of abundance. Later the sweet Pongal dish is completed by adding rice, mung dahl, cardamom, raisins and nuts.
The next day Jyoti brought what I now know is called Ven Pongal which was a mildly flavoured savoury dish with rice and mung dahl, curry leaves, ginger, cashews, cumin and hing. I thought this dish tasted ok and I learned that it’s usually served with sambar and coconut chutney which really complement each other well. Idli-sambar is my favourite Indian breakfast dish, but I enjoy having sambar with Pongal during the festival time.
One of my favourite stories about Jo and her husband Thyagu, is that one year Jo asked Thyagu if he was going to buy her flowers for Valentine’s Day. He replied, “No I will not. I will buy you Pongal flowers, as Pongal is always close to the 14th of January.” He has continued to buy her Pongal flowers, but not Valentines. I loved his cheeky answer, showing of love and care for his wife.
I enjoyed sharing Pongal with Jo and Thyagu each of the 6 years that I was in India, and now my Indian-origin husband Kayden and I share Pongal at home. We call our family and friends in India, especially our brother-in-law who is Hindu. Last year his wife Daniela was telling us about the different Pongal dishes she has learned to make for their family.
And of course, I’ll call Jo to wish her for Pongal, and say, “May your cup of joy overflow.”
We may go to one of the family festivals in Melbourne this year, or to a restaurant to celebrate Pongal, as we love to try different dishes and other versions of the same dish.
Here are some options if you are planning to go out with your family to celebrate Pongal in Melbourne.
Events for Pongal 2023 in Melbourne
Neighbourhood Pongal Event
Sun 15 Jan (from 10am) 23 Freshbrook Avenue Park Truganina, VIC 3029
Tamil Thai Pongal Festival
Sat 21 Jan (9.30-1pm) 255 Pakenham Rd, Pakenham (featuring cooking, sweet food, dance programs, sports activities, etc). This is a good opportunity to meet and talk to people and enjoy the Tamil food.
The Tamil Festival 2023
Sun 22 Jan (8.30am onwards) Gaelic Park 324 Perry Road, Keysborough. A day-long cultural experience and entertainment for the whole family with free entry, making traditional rice pudding (Pongal) in hundreds of pots, stage performances, traditional games and stalls
Restaurants
Khushee Indian Food
At Khushee, Kayden the chef has designed a special menu for Pongal with authentic Tamilian Sambar and Ven Pongal, as well as some favourites like Potato Poriyal, Chicken 65 and Madras Fish Curry. There are veg and non-veg menu bundles to choose from.
Ananda Bhavan
Anand Bhavan has Ven Pongal on their menu and some combos available with Sambar and Pongal
A2B
A2B has several special Pongal dishes on their menu and usually do special menus for South Indian Festivals
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