SAKKARE PONGAL

Yields: 5 cups

Ingredients

Rice: ½ cup
Moong dal/Hesarubele: ¼ cup
Jaggery/Gud/Bella: 2 cups
Milk: 1 cup
Badam/Almond: 8 nos
Fresh grated coconut: 1 cup
Cardamom powder: ½ tsp
Saffron: 3-4 strings(soaked in 2 tbsp hot milk)
Khas khas/Poppy seeds: 1 tsp
Cashewnuts/Kaju: 1 tbsp
Raisins/Draksh: 1 tsp
Edible camphor: a pinch
Ghee: 4 tbsp

Preparation

1. Roast lightly both rice and dal (just warm it) and pressure cook it together by adding 2¼ cups of water.
2. Soak almond and remove skin.
3. Now make jaggery syrup by adding ¼ cup of water to jaggery dissolve and remove impurities. Boil it till you get one string paka.
4. Grind soaked almond, khas khas, grated coconut, saffron, camphor, cardamom powder in a mixer.
5. Take a big pan(with thick bottom) or pressure cooker and add 1 tbsp ghee, fry cashewnuts, raisins and transfer to a bowl.
6. Now add cooked rice-dal mixer, milk, grinded almond mix.
7. Mix and cook in a low flame for 15-20 minutes till it thickens.
8. Switch off the flame, add jaggery syrup and mix it properly. Switching off the flame and adding the jaggery syrup will help the milk not getting cuddled.
9. Switch on the flame, cook for 15-20 minutes by adding 1 tbsp ghee in between.
10. Keep stirring continuously so that it doesn't stick the pan.
11. Once the pongal thickens, switch off the flame and garnish with fried dry fruits.