The festival of harvest is back in all its glory. Popular as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, besides fondly called Lohri up in the north, this five-day festivity observed across the country comprises celebrations, dance, performing rituals, visiting temples, and of course preparing sumptuous food. While rice is the key ingredient of most preparations down south, nuts, and leafy greens are part and parcel of the northern festivity. The good part is that all these foods are a powerhouse of essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and stress-busting antioxidants that can help us stay energetic in winter and ward off seasonal illnesses and chronic ailments throughout the year.

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With the Covid pandemic hitting back and agonizing us with its deadly coronavirus sub-variants, why not focus on our health and overall well-being? Consuming nutrient-dense food is one of the best ways to keep our immunity levels stronger which will help us combat the pandemic infection fiercely and remain strong. Keeping our physical and emotional well-being at its best, let this glorious midwinter festival, which is indeed a way to welcome winter solstice harvest our lives too with an abundance of good health.

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What are you waiting for? On this exuberant day, here are two easy and delectable recipes that can be added to your Pongal, Lohri, and Sakranti menu to enhance your day of festivity in a wholesome way.

Yellow Pumpkin Pongal 
Ingredients

2 cups grated fresh yellow pumpkin

1/2 cup split moong dal

1 cup rice

1 cup jaggery

500 ml coconut milk

2 cups of milk

1/4 cup ghee/clarified butter

1/2 tsp saffron

A pinch of cardamom powder

1/4 cup cashews

1/3 cup raisins

1 cup grated coconut

A pinch of salt

Method

Remove the rind, thick fibrous matter, and seeds from the pumpkin

Grate the soft flesh of the pumpkin

Add ghee to a pan and begin to cook over medium heat

Reduce the flame when the ghee melts

Transfer the rice and dal to this pan

Stir fry for a few minutes until it releases an aroma

Keep aside

Transfer the mixture to a pressure cooker

Pressure-cook it until it gets completely cooked

In another pot bring jaggery to a boil until it has melted

Add milk and stir for a few minutes

Add saffron and a pinch of salt

Once milk turns thick, add cardamom powder

Add the cooked rice and stir well

Reduce the heat and add coconut milk

Stir for about 6 to 7 minutes until it becomes thick and keep aside

Fry cashews and raisins in a clarified butter

Once cashews become golden, add grated coconut and fry for about a minute

Add the fried ingredients to pumpkin Pongal and mix well

The delicious yellow pumpkin Pongal is ready

Nutrition

A must-have in a Pongal feast, yellow pumpkin is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This low-calorie dish is ideal for weight loss. Jaggery has many cleansing and healing properties and helps to detoxify the liver. Medium-chain fatty acids in coconut milk help to regulate blood lipids, improving cognitive function and alleviating inflammation.

Sarson And Palak Saag

Ingredients

1 kg mustard greens

1 bunch of baby spinach

2 onions

1-inch ginger piece

10 garlic cloves

1 tbsp red chili powder

1 tbsp salt

For Tempering

1/2 tbsp cooking oil

1 onion sliced

5 garlic cloves

Method

Mix all the greens in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil

After about twenty minutes, uncover mix all the ingredients, and simmer again for another 30 minutes

Let it cool down

Puree the entire mixture

Cook the entire mixture until you get a thick, slightly textured mixture remaining in the pot

Keep aside

Heat oil for the tempering process

Add sliced onions and chopped garlic 

Cook until they turn dark brown

Pour the entire mix on the thick green mix

Add a little dollop of butter and serve with hot chapatis

Nutrition

This famous north Indian recipe made from vivid greens is a bundle of nutrition. Spinach and mustard greens are the key ingredients of this dish which are a rich source of Vitamin K that aids bone health and is essential for blood clotting. The recipe also contains a significant amount of calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, thiamine, and essential B Vitamins which augment the body’s immunity against many health ailments.

Netmeds.com Wishes All Its Customers A Happy Pongal/Makar Sankranti.