Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1.Prepare Vegetables and Pongal Ingredients

   Gather all fresh vegetables including onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, cabbage, raw bananas, drumsticks, carrots, radish, okra, and brinjal. Wash them thoroughly. Also, prepare rice for Pongal.

2. 2.Cook Sweet Pongal

   Place a clay pot over a wood fire. Wash 2 kg of rice and add it to the pot with 5 liters of milk. Allow it to boil and overflow, signifying good fortune. Crush 1 kg of jaggery and add it to the Pongal. Stir in 100g each of cashews and raisins, 2 tbsp of cardamom, and 200g of ghee. Cook until the Pongal is thick and creamy.

3. 3.Chop Vegetables

   Chop 4 kg of tomatoes, 4 kg of onions, 2 kg of carrots, 2 kg of drumsticks, 2 kg of radish, 2 kg of cabbage, 2 kg of potatoes, 2 kg of brinjal, and 1 kg of spinach. Dice the potatoes and brinjal, shred the cabbage, and slice the carrots and radish.

4. 4.Prepare Sambar and Rasam Base

   Place four large cooking pots over separate wood fires. Add 500ml of oil to each pot. Once hot, add 2 tbsp mustard seeds, 2 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds, 5-6 bay leaves, 5-6 star anise, 10-15 dried red chilies, and a handful of curry leaves to each pot. Sauté until fragrant.

5. 5.Cook Sambar and Rasam

   To two of the pots, add 1 kg chopped onions and 1 kg chopped tomatoes. Sauté until soft. Add 100g garlic ginger paste, 2 tbsp turmeric powder, 3 tbsp chili powder, and 4 tbsp sambar powder. Mix well. Add a portion of the mixed vegetables (drumsticks, carrots, radish, green beans, raw banana, okra, brinjal, potatoes) to each pot. Pour in 200g tamarind pulp and sufficient water. Add 500g lentils (dal) to one pot for Sambar and cook until vegetables are tender and dal is cooked. The other pot will be for Rasam.

6. 6.Prepare Potato & Peas Curry

   In a separate large pan over fire, sauté diced potatoes and peas with onions, green chilies, curry leaves, and spices (turmeric, chili powder, garam masala) until cooked and well combined.

7. 7.Prepare Brinjal Curry

   In another large pan, cook diced brinjal with onions, green chilies, curry leaves, and spices (turmeric, chili powder, garam masala) until the brinjal is soft and tender.

8. 8.Prepare Cabbage & Lentil Stir-fry

   In a large pan, sauté shredded cabbage and 200g lentils (chana dal) with onions, green chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds until the cabbage is tender-crisp.

9. 9.Prepare Spinach Stir-fry

   In a large pan, cook 1 kg spinach with onions, green chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and dried red chilies until the spinach is wilted and tender.

10. 10.Fry Raw Banana

    Slice 2 kg raw bananas. Marinate them with 3 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp turmeric, and salt to taste. Deep-fry the marinated banana slices in 1 liter of hot oil until golden brown and crispy.

11. 11.Prepare and Fry Vada

    Prepare a batter from 1 kg chana dal, green chilies, onions, curry leaves, coriander, and salt. Form into small patties and deep-fry in 1 liter of hot oil until golden brown and cooked through.

12. 12.Fry Papad/Appalam

    Deep-fry 100-200 pieces of papad/appalam in 500ml of hot oil until puffed and crispy.

13. 13.Serve the Grand Feast

    Lay out fresh banana leaves. Serve generous portions of white rice, sweet Pongal, vada, fried banana, okra/chickpea curry, cabbage & lentil stir-fry, spinach stir-fry, potato & peas curry, brinjal curry, sambar, rasam, curd/buttermilk, and pickle. Enjoy the meal with friends and family.