When I was a little girl, our family lived in a village in Tamilnadu. Pongal is “Thanks Giving” for us, time to thank Sun god for the bountiful harvest, farmers, and cattle and share the bounty with friends and relatives. Out in the court yard, mom used to make sweet Pongal (rice, moong dhal and jagary) in a decorated clay pot placed on a clay oven using wood fire. When it is completely cooked, she would add milk, milk would boil over—a good sign indicating happiness would overflow. My siblings and I used to shout”pongalo, pongal” in unison. Fond memories of good old days. I cook here in the kitchen in a pressure cooker.