Sweet Pongal

No. of servings:  6-8
Preparation Time:  5 mins	Cook Time:  25 mins

Made during festivals, especially for Sankraanti/Pongal in Southern India, this popular dessert is quick to make and delicious to eat!  Prepared with minimal ingredients and oils, it is not a typical dessert that is heavy.  Moong daal makes this is a cooling and protein-rich dessert too!  

Ingredients:

• Rice -  1 cup (white or brown)
• Green gram daal - 0.5 cups (with or without skin)
• Papdi lilva - 0.5 cup (optional)
• Jaggery - 1 cup (1.25 cup if using papdi lilva)
• Ghee (or) oil (if vegan) - 2 tbsp
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Turmeric - 1-inch root (or) 1 tsp powder
• Cashews - 1 fistful
• Raisins - 1 fistful
• Cardamom - 4 pods
• Mace flower - 2 pinches
• Edible camphor - 1 pinch
• Saffron - 1 pinch
• Salt - 1 pinch
• Grated fresh coconut - 0.5 cup

Method:

• Break cashews to prefered size
• To a pressure cooker vessel, add a tbsp of ghee (or oil) and roast the broken cashews ('Saute' mode in IP)
• Add the raisins and saute only until the raisins fluff up 
• Immediately scoop out the cashews and raisins and set aside
• Add washed green gram daal, rice and papdi lilva (if using), salt to the pressure cooker vessel 
• In a blender jar, whisk together ginger, turmeric root and a cup of water
• Add this spiced water to the rice and daal
• Add 5 more cups of water, cover and cook ('Pressure' mode for 6 mins in IP)
• In a small vessel, melt jaggery with half a cup of water 
• Strain it for any debris and heat it on the stove till it starts bubbling and forms a 'one string consistency' 
• Mash the cooked daal-rice mixture with one cup of hot water 
• Add it to the jaggery syrup 
• Mix well without lumps and cook well
• When it starts bubbling, add the grated coconut as well as the roasted cashews and raisins that were kept aside
• Make a coarse powder of the cardamom (along with skin) and mace flower
• Put this into the vessel, along with saffron and powdered (with fingers) edible camphor
• Add the remaining ghee, mix and heat well 
• Serve hot with a dollop of ghee (optional)

Tips and Tricks:

• Whisking ginger and turmeric with water incorporates their flavor and color better.  Also speeds up the prep time, instead of grating them
• Can use green gram daal with or without skin.  They add extra fibre and texture to the dish
• Can use white or brown rice.  Even half and half of both kinds works well.  The healthier brown rice adds to the texture and fibre
• Papdi lilva add to the nutrition and taste, but not essential
• Scooping away the cashews and raisins, then adding it in the end keeps their crunch and texture
• Adding grated coconut after cooking keeps its flavor and body better
• Edible camphor can be crushed with two fingers directly into the dish.  Not required to crush it with the cardamom and mace 

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: