Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sarkarai Pongal

Hi! Posting a recipe after a long break.
Sarkarai Pongal is a high calorific delicacy of Tamilnadu.So those who want to commit  sin(!) of consuming high calorific food  for a change can really try out this. Since I don't mind committing this sin, I love to indulge in such foods quite often ;-). To be on modest side ;-), I would like to declare that my preparation is highly appreciated in our circles as I add all possible high calorific ingredients to make it delicious . Pongal can be prepared in n number of ways.The method I follow is almost similar to the famous "Vaishnavite Akkaaravadisal of Tamilnadu" which is the big brother of Pongal in all aspects.
Pongal

Ingredients

Rice -2 cups
Mung dal(yellow)-  3/4 cup
Jaggery (powdered) - 3 1/2  cup to 4 cups
(depending on the sweetness of jaggery).
Milk - 1 to 1 1/2 ltr
Ghee - 2 cups or more
Coconut -1
Elaichi powder -as required.
Cashew Nuts-  handful or more
Raisins/Dried grapes- handful or more
jadikkai/jaiphal/nutmeg powder- 1 tsp
water- as required.


Method

Dry Roast Mungdal till golden red and wash it along with rice and keep it aside.
Take total eight cups(Water+milk) in a big vessel,(decide the qty of water according to the availability of milk)
And hereafter only milk will be added for further cooking.,add a spoon of ghee  and bring it to  a boil.
After the mixture boils, add washed  rice+mungdal in the vessel, let this mixture cook well.
Take care that the mixture doesn't get burnt at the bottom of the vessel..Add the milk little and little as the mixture thickens.Check the consistency of cooked mung dal  for softness.If rice+dal mixture is cooked nicely,then add powdered jaggery.
If you add the jaggery before,then rice+dal will not be cooked properly.Once jaggery is added ,simmer the flame,continuous stirring is required to prevent overburning.Add 2 big spoons of ghee while adding jaggery.Once jaggery melts,
keep another kadai ,add ghee, and in the molten ghee, roast scrapped or small pieces of coconut and add to the pongal.
Again heat some more ghee to roast cashew nuts,raisins and nutmeg powder one by one and add  to pongal.
Add elaichi powder, pour 2 to 3 big spoons of molten ghee on pongal and switch off the flame.

Sugar can be used instead of Jaggery.But I prefer Jaggery for its iron content.
If Sugar is used, then can add saffron/keshar/kumkumapoo for garnishing, as saffron doesn't go well with jaggery preparations.
What are you waiting for? Serve hot and enjoy this wonderful delicacy.