Sweet Pongal (Huggi)

One convenient reason why blogging makes it worthwhile for me is because I can refer to my own recipes online anytime for years to come. I know it sounds silly, but it is true.

A few days ago while contemplating what to make for dinner; it occurred to me that it had been a while since I made the delicious Cheesy Vegetable Pulav. I decided to make it that evening, but could not remember the exact ingredients that went into the masala and so I scrambled to check for the recipe in my old diary. I usually scribble down recipes on-the-go in my diary with a handwriting that could give even the most ‘competent’ doctors a run for their money. Anyway I froze when I realized that I had not penned down this recipe and I thought that I had lost it for ever. I was about to yell at myself but as eureka moment realized that I had blogged that recipe and that I could refer to it at my own site. Boy! It was a strange feeling but suffice to say that I was pleased with myself!

Anyway, the ‘moral’ of this episode was to keep a record of my important recipes be it online or my diary. I had prepared this recipe for Pongal January and was sitting pretty in the draft mode for way too long.

Anyway, this Sweet Pongal is a traditional sweet dish made with the combination of rice and moong daal. This is prepared during special occasions and also made during the festival of Pongal/Sankranthi along with the spicy khichdi/ Khara Pongal.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 1/4 cup moong daal
• 1.5 cup jaggery
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cup water
• 1/4 cup dry coconut [use regular coconut if dry not available]
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Handful raisins
• Ghee
• cashews

Method:

• Cook the rice along with the moong daal by adding both water and milk. This should be mushy and liquidy.
• In a heavy bottom pan, melt the jaggery along with little water (1/4 cup).
• Then add the cooked rice daal mixture and stir well.
• Then add the dry coconut mixture and continue to stir until the water evaporates and the jaggery thickens up. If this is too dry, add little more milk to this.
• Add the cardamom powder, 2 tsp ghee, mix and close the lid and switch off the gas.
• In a separate pan add ghee and add the raisins and cashews. Stir until the raisins plump and cashews get a brown color.
• Add to the sweet rice mixture and close the lid.