Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Blog Bites: Sweet Pongal

I have a sweet tooth. I confess. I like most sweets, barring all 'malai' ones, that is. There is one wish I have cherished for as long as I remember, to be as lucky as some people who can east as much and what ever they fancy and NEVER, EVER, EVER gain an ounce. sigh! How I envy them! I envy them, here they are tucking into every thing, mopping up stuff like vacuums, never once caring what it might do to them and here I am, just 'looking' at sweets makes me gain lbs.
My case is different, I gain weight even if I breathe. So might as well enjoy something sweet ( in moderation).
I find my resolution ( of quitting sugar) weakening  everytime I look at something like this or this or this . And so, I only look, sigh and move on. but then once in a way a simple recipe comes along and  I give in, I sigh, I read, I drool, I try to move on but I find myself retracing  my steps back to the same place, again and again and a little voice whispering in my ear, egging me on and I give in. So much for will power !
I found myself going back to Suganya's blog to look and drool at her Sweet Pongal recipe. Her recipes are accompanied with stunning pictures and are a visual treat! 
I picked out this particular recipe for Blog Bites: Cooker event at Nupur's OHS 


Here is the recipe ( linked above) with  small modifications on my part

Sarkkarai Pongal from Suganya's Tasty Palettes.
(serves 3-4)
If you are making just the sweet pongal for dessert, cook rice-dal mixture with more milk. Also, instead of making the sugar syrup separately, the sweeteners are added directly to the rice. But for that, the recipe remains the same.
Ingredients
Raw rice – 2/3 cup ( I used Sona Masuri)
Moong dal – 2 tbsp
Chana dal – 1 tbsp
Milk – 2 cups, ( I used whole milk)
Water – 2 cups
Jaggery – 1½ cups, powdered or grated
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp... oh, I used a lot more! More like 5-6 Tbs. over all.
Cashew – 10-15
Raisins – 2 tbsp
Ground cardamom – 1 tsp
Edible camphor – a teeny bit  ( left this one out, did not have any on hand)
Method
Roast the dals until lightly golden. Cool, and rinse along with rice. Transfer to the pressure cooker with milk and water, and cook for 6 whistles- here I used my electric rice cooker and doubled the water, the rice I have is an aged one and hence requires extra water, 1:3  ( or more to make the rice REALLY soft) ratio of rice to water.

When the pressure has subsided, remove the lid and add jaggery and sugar and mix until everything is combined well, here I transferred the cooked rice to a wok / kadhai and added the jaggery and sugar

Continue cooking this mixture for about 10 minutes on low flame. If the mixture tightens up too much, add small amounts of boiling water to maintain the consistency. The jaggery should have melted completely and should not smell raw. When good aroma wafts from the pongal, switch off the stove.
In another small pan, melt ghee, roast cashews and raisins. Add this to the prepared pongal, along with cardamom and edible camphor. Whether you serve it warm, cold or at room temperature, sarkkarai pongal tastes divine. I agree, it tastes ABSOLUTELY divine! 

This post is off to Nupur's Blog Bites event and the Sweet Pongal to my dear friends who keep me company  everyday and brighten up my day! 
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5 comments:

A Cook @ Heart said...

Ramya Manja has left a new comment on your post "Blog Bites: Sweet Pongal":

Sweet Pongal is my All Time Favorite Dish,when relished with some fresh home made ghee,it gives a delightful feeling to the palate....

Clicks are very tempting...

Nupur has left a new comment on your post "Blog Bites: Sweet Pongal":

Oh that looks just divine! And looks rich enough that a small portion would be perfectly satisfying. Thanks for this beautiful entry!

Joy has left a new comment on your post "Blog Bites: Sweet Pongal":

O Wow! I would love to try this! I can just about imagine it!

I deleted the comments made by Ramya, Nupur & Joy, my apologies. I am copy - pasting them from my e-mail

Ramya, I Agree, that little extra ghee takes it to another level, but in my case, sparingly enjoyed!

Thank U Nupur.

Joy, it is a perfect (warm)dessert for a cold night! or any other, for that matter!

Vaishali said...

Love nothing more than a bowl of warm, sweet pongal. Yours looks divine, Manasi.

Unknown said...

Luv sweet pongal...Wat a yummy click

Chef@ free standing kitchens said...

I must be honest to say that I dont like sweets but this one rocks and I am looking forwards on having a taste of sweet pongal.

Divya said...

Your blog is very nice.

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