Sweet Pongal

Sweet Pongal is cooked during Shankranti festival in South India. Sweet Pongal is dished-out with fresh harvested rice to celebrate Shankranti and to mark a festivities of new crop season. 

 Traditionally, Sweet Pongal is cooked in a new mud-pot,  which was used for cooking eons ago. A newly built cooking mud-stove also is used to cook; this family-favorite sweet dish with seasoned fresh ingredients, including - dal and jaggery. 

During the Shankranti festival, Sweet Pongal is served to the Gods as Neivedayam (Prasadam). In most part of the southern India this festival also calls for get-together with family & friends  and preferably Sweet Pongal is much sought-after desert to be served to celebrate these good times.

Makar Shankranti, the celebration of harvest is celebrated through-out India with various names and with various sweet dishes welcoming this new season. In Southern part of India, the celebrations starts with drawing colorful rangoli designs in front of the house, which is very inviting and thought to be creating positive vibes.

Though traditionally Jaggery is used to cook Sweet Pongal, which also gives right texture to the dish, whereas alternatively sugar can also be used for sweetness. Since jaggery already contains some amount of salt in it, so if adding sugar instead then just add a pinch of salt to get the fine taste of Sweet Pongal. 

Enjoy the cooking of Pongal and its sweetness to get into the mood in this celebration times of Shankranti festival. Pongalo............Pongal....!!!

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1 cup

2. Split Green gram /Yellow Moong dal - 1/4 cup

3. Jaggery - 3/4th cup

4. Cardamom seeds - 4 to 5

5. Milk - 1/2 cup

6. Cashews and raisins - 1/4th cup

7. clarified butter / Ghee - 2 tbsp.

8. Water - 4 cups (depending upon the rice)

Cooking Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice in water for some time. In the meanwhile dry roast the moong dal for 2 to 3 minutes under low flame for its flavor to release.

2. In a pot, cook rice and moong dal together with 4 cups of water and milk. (Can be pressure cooked too)

3. Meanwhile grate the jaggery and melt it in a pan to scoop-out any impurities from it.

4. Once the rice and moong dal gets completely cooked then add jaggery and cardamom powder giving it a thorough mix. 

5. Finally, heat half of the ghee in a pan, toss the raisins first and add it to the Pongal. Follow the same with cashew nuts using remaining ghee.