kalakkalsamayal: Sakkarai-Pongal

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Sakkarai-Pongal

#SakkaraiPongal - #SweetPongal : Sakkarai pongal is a special sweet dish prepared on Pongal day and also on other festival days. It is also prepared during temple festivals to offer to god. Many temples distribute sweet pongal after offering it to God as prasadham.
Here comes the method of preparing sweet pongal.

Ingredients :
3/4 Cup	Raw Rice
1/4 Cup	Green gram split [ moong dhal ]
1/2 Cup	Milk
1	Banana [ optional ]
1 pinch	Salt
1 1/4 Cup	Jaggery [ adjust ]
4	Cardamom
a small piece	Nutmeg
2 Tsp	Sugar
1 pinch	Edible Camphor [ Pachai karpooram ]
4 Tsp	Ghee
4 - 5	Cashew nuts
10 - 15	Kismis

Method :
Take 3 1/2 cups of water in a pressure cooker.
Add 1/2 cup of milk into the cooker.
Chop banana and add that also into the cooker.
Bring it to boil on a stove over high flame.

Wash rice and dhal together in a vessel and drain the water completely.
Keep aside.

Add rice and dhal once the water & milk starts boiling.
Close the lid and put the weight over the nozzle of the cooker.
Allow 3 whistles, reduce the flame and cook for 5 minutes at SIM.
Open the cooker only after it ran out of steam.

In the mean time dissolve jaggery in hot water.
Strain through a filter to remove impurities.
Keep aside.

Fry cashew nut pieces and kismis in ghee separately using a kadai till they turn golden.
Set aside.

Powder sugar, cardamom & nutmeg in a mixie or using a mortar & pestle.
Keep aside.

After opening the cooker lid again keep it on a stove over slow flame.
Before adding jaggery water, add a pinch of salt and mash it using a heavy long ladle.
Now add jaggery water and stir well.
Keep stirring for 8 to 10 minutes or until all blend together.

Finally add cardamom-nutmeg powder and 3 Tsp of ghee.
Then add roasted cashew nuts and kismis.
Mix well.
Turnoff the stove and then add edible camphor after crushing it between fingers.
Mix well.
Tasty yummy sweet pongal is ready.
Fill the serving bowls with hot sweet pongal topping with a dash of ghee.
mm... enjoy!!