Sweet pongal
This dish is the sweet version of the regular khichdi that is prepared. The main ingredient is the same - rice and moong dal. Jaggery/sugar is added to give the sweetness and decorated with ghee fried nuts and raisins and flavoured with cardamom powder. It is generally prepared in temples as a prasadam, (an offering made to a deity).
Preparation of Sweet Pongal
Ingredients:
Rice: ½ cup
Moong dal : 1 cup
Jaggery powder: 1 cup
Cardamom powder: ½ tsp
Mix nuts: 1 small cup
Ghee: 1 tablespoon
Method:
- Dry roast moong dal till it is slightly brown in colour, add a cup of water and allow it to soak.
- Wash the rice in water and keep it aside.
- Melt jaggery by adding ¼ cup of water, cool and strain.
- Chop all the nuts and keep them ready
- In a pressure cooker, add dal and rice with a cup of water and cook for 2-3 whistles.
- Remove the cooker lid, add the jaggery syrup, lower the flame and allow it to simmer till the mixture becomes a little thick.
- Switch off the gas, add cardamom powder. Roast the nuts in the ghee and add all over the sweet pongal. Mix well and serve.
Note: Rice can be replaced with millets like foxtail or any other millet. Millets need to be soaked for 4-5 hours before cooking.
- Pallavi Gupta
