Chakkara Pongal

It is Pongal! What is the best part of the festival – the dish of course! Not being in India, where custom and tradition take precedence, the sole significance for our kids seems to be what they get to eat. My kiddo chooses to call this festival – “Chakkara Pongal Day”! This being my first contribution to the blog - glad to start with a sweet dish, and on such an auspicious occasion!

Prep & Cooking: 30 min approx.           Serves: 8-10
Ingredients: 
Rice - 2 cups
Moong dal - ¾ cup
Jaggery - 5 cups (not powdered, I am talking about the mini rectangular blocks)
Raisins - 2 tablespoons
Cashews - 2 tablespoons
Cardamom – ½ teaspoon
Nutmeg – ½ teaspoon
Saffron – a few strands
Edible Camphor – a pinch
Salt – ¼ teaspoon
Water – 7 cups
Milk – 1 cup
Clarified Butter (Ghee) – 2 tablespoons

Method: 

• Roast the moong dal until it gives out a nice flavor – don’t let it brown.

• Combine it with the rice, water and milk in a pressure cooker and cook until soft and mushy. Fry the cashews and raisins separately in ghee and set them aside. In another vessel, melt jaggery with about a tablespoon of water. 

•  Add this jaggery syrup along with the cardamom, saffron strands, salt, fried cashew and raisins to the cooked rice and dal mixture and stir until everything blends nicely.

Yummy chakkara pongal is ready!