PULAGAM AND PESARA PAPPU GARELU FOR BHOGI LUNCH

BHOGI PANDUGA SUBHAKANKHALU TO ALL
Bhogi festival is the first day of Sankraanti and is celebrated in the honor of lord indra the god of clouds and rains.since samkraanti is a harvest festival this day farmers worship lord indra to bring plenty and prosperty to the land and good harvest in the up cooming year.On Bhogi all people clean ther homes from top to bottom and remove unwanted things and some people give anew look and white wash to there homes.Homes are cleaned and decorated with Muggu(rangoli,Kolam,Flour designs drown by rice flour and colors) and decorated by Gobbilu(cow -dung bals decorated with pumpkin flowers and placed in the Rice flour designs).Fresh harvest of rice lentils. turmeric,and sugarcane brought in from the fields as preparation for the day.
Another ritual observed on this bhogi day early in the morning is Bhogi Mantalu(bonfire) useless household articles are thron in to a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes,In my childhood my grand father wakes me up early morning 4 am and a big bonfire will be there in front of my house and Haridasu, a village singer who sing lord vishnu s stories and dance around the bonfire i use to anjoy those stories, in a winter early morning this fealing is so great.The significance of this Bhogi Mantalu is which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter.but now a days this is ban because of pollution ooh that is an other story.
After the Bhogi Mantalu we have to take a nice oil bath and wear new cloths. And Bhogi day menu will be like this Pulagam,Sweet pongali,Garelu and onion or coconut chutney and Kadambam pulusu

Pulagam:--- this one is simelar to ven pongal but we cook rice and dal with some cumin seeds and pepper corns we dont give seasoning to this
Sweet pongali :--- chakkarapongal
Garelu:--- vada made with urad dal or moong dal
Kadambam pulusu:---Mixed vegetables cooked in tamarind juice and a tab sp of toor dal and a final touch with jaggery vegetables we use for this is eggplant,pumpkin,yellow(lemon)cucumber,drumstick,sweet potato,bottle gourd no onion and no tomato all vegetables are freshly brought from fiels those days now a days from market.
And here I am with my recipe PESARA GARELU
FOR PESARA GARELU:----
Pesara pappu(moong dal):---- 1 cup
onion ---- 1 medium chopped
Green chilies -- 3 chopped
cumin seeds --- 1 tea sp
curry leaves -- a few
rice flour -- 1 tab sp
Salt to taste

OIL for frying

METHOD:----
Soak moong dal in water for 3-4 hours and grind in to a coarse paste then add chopped onion,green chilies, cumin seeds,curry leaves, salt to taste, rice flour mix well and make vadas on a plantain leaf and drop then in to hot oil and deep fry in a medium flame till golden color remove and serve with coconut or onion chutney.

For pulagam:---
Rice -- 1 cup
Moong dal --- 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds -- 1 tea sp
pepper corns -- 1/2 tea sp
Salt to taste
water --- 3 cups
Ghee -- 1 tab sp
METHOD:----
Mix rice and dal in pan wash and add water,cumin seeds, pepper corns and cook in amediun flame till done just before removing from fire add salt and ghee mix well and remove from fire and serve with coconut chutney and Kadambam pulusu.


If you want to make this in apressure cooker just wash rice and dal then add all other ingredients cover with cooker lid and cook for 3 whistles,remove from fire let it cool then open the lid and add ghee on top and serve hot
ENJOY BHOGI FESTIVAl AND BE HAPPY.