Saturday 15 November 2014

Sweet Pongal




Ingredients
Raw Rice - 1 cup
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Jaggery (crushed) - 1.5 cups
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Water - 4 cups (to cook the rice and dal)
   Tip :- You can substitute 4 cups of water with 2 cups water + 2 cups milk or 2 cups
water + 2 cups coconut milk.
Water - 1 cup (to melt the jaggery)
Cardamon Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashews, Almonds, Raisins or Coconut Pieces - about 1/4 cup (Use as per your preference or whatever you have on hand)
Saffron Strands - a pinch (optional)

Method
1. Take a pressure cooker and dry roast the moong dal for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice to this. Now add the 4 cups of water (with milk if adding) and 1 tsp ghee.
3. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles till the rice and dal is cooked soft. You can also cook the mixture in a rice cooker or an open pot.
4. In the meantime, heat 1 tblsp of ghee and fry the nuts and raisins. Keep this aside.
5. Next, melt the crushed jaggery with 1 cup of water in a heavy bottmoned pot/pan.
6. Once the jaggery has melted, you can strain it to remove any dirt. This step can be skipped if the jaggery is pure.
7. Return the strained jaggery back to the pot. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
8. Mash the cooked rice-dal mixture partially and add it to the simmering jaggery syrup.
9. Add the remaining ghee, cardamon powder, saffron strands and the roasted nuts. Mix together and let it simmer for few minutes till everything comes together into a gooey pongal consistency. 
10. Switch off. The pongal continues to thicken as it cools. Serve as a snack, dessert or a meal.

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