Chakkarai (Sweet) Pongal

With Pongal just passing by, am sure the blogosphere has several posts of this sweet, jaggery pongal. I used a pressure cooker as opposed to the traditional vengalai paanai adorned with turmeric and kumkum. With freshly made ghee it tasted real good.

SARKARAI PONGAL

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Mung Dhal - 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 2 cups, crushed and packed
Water - 1/2 cup + 3 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Cardamoms - 3, crushed
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Raisins - few
Cashews- few, cut into bits

Method:
1) Lightly toast mung dhal till fragrant. Wash rice and mung dhal and pressure cook together with 3 cups of water and 2 cups of milk (1:5 ratio)

2) Heat the jaggery with 1/2 cup water till completely dissolved and strain to remove impurities, if any. Heat the strained solution until it thickens a bit (1-string consistency).

3) Now add the cooked pongal to the jaggery and stir on a medium flame till it thickens a bit. Add the crushed/powdered cardamom.

4) Heat ghee in a separate pan, toast the raisins and cashews and add to the sweet pongal. Stir and simmer for a few minutes before removing from the stove. Chakkarai pongal is ready to serve.