Sweet pongal is a delicious dish prepared by our ancestors to signify and celebrate abundance and prosperity after the harvest. It is a traditional dish mostly prepared in South Indian homes on the day of Makara Sankranthi or Pongal festival to offer god . Sweet pongal is a made with rice, moong dal , ghee , jaggery , cardamom and nuts .
INGREDIENTS
RICE - 1/2 CUP
MOONG DAL - 1/4 CUP
GHEE - 4 TABLESPOON
JAGGERY - 1 CUP
WATER - 2 CUP
CARDOMOM POWDER-1TEASPOON( OPTIONAL)
CASHEW NUT - 10
RAISINS -10
HOW TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL
1. Add 1 teaspoon ghee to a heavy bottom pot or pressure cooker. Add 1/4 cup of moong daland roast them on medium flame till it turns aromatic. Keep stirring for even roasting till dal turns golden, do not brown them as the flavour changes.
This may take 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Add 1/2 cup of rice to the roasted dal. Pour 2 cups of water . Cook for 3 whistles in pressure cooker .
3. To make jaggery syrup , add 1 /2 cup of water and 1 cup of grated jaggery to a small pot . Heat this on a low flame to dissolve the jaggery. Let the syrup begin to bubble up well and boil for 2 to 4 minutes.
4. Once the pressure has released , open the cooker lid. Both rice and dal should be soft and mushy. Mash them with spoon slightly.
5. Filter the jaggery syrup to the rice and combine well. Boil it till it thickens .
6. Add 1 teaspoon cardomom powder(optional) . Cook on medium flame till it bubbles up. This takes 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Heat 3 tablespoon of ghee in a small pan. Add 10 cashew and 10 raisins . Fry them till cashews turn golden.
8. Pour it to the rice mixture over the sweet pongal and mix well.
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