Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup – raw Rice
• 3 tbsp – moong dal/paasi paruppu
• 4 tbsp – Ghee
• 1/2 cup – Milk
• 6 to 8 – cashews
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup – Jaggery
• 1 – Cardamom
• 1 tsp – Raisins (optional)
• 2 pinches – Nutmeg powder (optional)
• A pinch – pachai karpooram/Borneo-camphor (optional)
• 1.75 cups – water
• 2 pinches – salt

Method:

1. Heat the cooker and add a tsp of ghee and fry the moong dal directly. Fry for a minute. Add the washed rice, half of the milk, water and pressure cook over a medium flame for 4 whistles. Once the pressure is released, open and mix some more milk, just to mash and mix well.
2. Powder the jaggery and if you think the jaggery is pure, doesn’t have impurities or sand then you can add the powdered jaggery to the pongal directly.
3. If you have impurities in it, then better melt the jaggery with very little water and filter the impurities and then add this syrup to the pongal.
4. Switch on the stove and keep on stirring on a low-medium flame.
5. Pour ghee little by little and keep on stirring till pongal leaves the sides of the vessel. (approx. 4-5 min)
6. Add fried cashew, powdered cardamom and the other optional ingredients at the end; mix well and serve.
7. Recipe courtesy: Rak’s Kitchen