Chakkara Pongal / Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:

1 cup raw rice / pachari

1/4 cup cherupayar parippu / split moong dal

1/2 kg / 3 medium jaggery, grated

1 cup milk

10 cardamoms

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

15-18 cashew nuts

15-20 raisins

1/4-1/2 cup ghee

a pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. In a pan, dry roast cardamoms and cumin seeds. Cool down and grind it to a powder and keep it aside.
2. In the same pan, add split moong dal and roast till raw smell disappears. No need to change the colour.
3. Then wash the dal and soak it for 1/2 an hour.
4. Wash the rice, drain it and keep it aside.
5. In a sauce pan, add grated jaggery and melt it adding 1/2 cup of water. Strain it and keep it aside.
6. In a pressure cooker, add drained rice, moong dal , 3 cups of water and milk and cook for 1 whistle at high flame and then reduce the flame and cook for 15 minutes till well cooked.
7. When the pressure releases, open the cooker and mash the cooked rice-dal mixture slightly.
8. Then add strained jaggery, mix well and boil at medium flame till it thickens and the jaggery combines well with rice-dal mixture. Switch off the flame.
9. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and fry cashew nuts and raisins. Add cardamom-cumin powder and mix well.
10. Now add cooked pongal and a pinch of salt to this and mix well for 5 minutes. Remove from the flame and serve...

Recipe Source: Lekshmi Nair (YouTube)