Friday, January 21, 2011

Sakkarai Pongal/Sweet Pongal

Wish you all a very Happy Pongal!

Thai Thirunaal Nal Vazhthukkal!










Thai Pongal (Thai is the 10th month of the 12 tamil months). The 1st day of the Thai month is the harvest festival (Thai Pongal) celebrated by hindu tamil people all over TamilNadu, India.

Pongal is usually cooked at sun rise by boiling newly harvested rice in the milk and when it boils, folks shout "Pongalo Pongal" and the boiled rice is lately topped with jaggery, cashewnuts, & raisins.

Here I am going to present my own version of sakkarai pongal or sweet pongal.


Ingredients:

Raw rice – ½ cup
Moong dal – ¼ cup
Jaggery – 2 cups
Milk – 1 ltr
Cashew nuts – few
Raisins – few
Cardamom – 1 tsp
Ghee/clarified butter – 1 tbsp
Water – ¾ cup

Method:

Dry roast moong dal and rice, wash and soak it in water for few minutes.
Heat 2 cups of jaggery and ½ cup of water in a bowl until jaggery is all dissolved, distil and keep it aside.
Heat a medium sized pot, or a wide pan add moong dal and ¾ cup water, cook until moong dal ½ done.
Heat ghee in a pan; fry cashews & raisins until golden brown;
Add rice and milk, and let it boil (when the milk bubbles out it's time to say "Pongalo Pongal").
Cook until dal and rice are very soft.
Now add distilled jaggery and mix well, let it boil.
When it thickens season it with cardamom, fried cashews & raisins, mix well.
Serve hot with a dollop of ghee (I prefer it that way).

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