Sweet Pongal

Ingredients
• 1½ C rice
• ½ C moong dal
• 8 C milk
• 2¼ C powdered jaggery (use 3 C if you desire a more sweeter taste)
• ½ Tsp cardamom powder
• ¾ C ghee (you can use lesser amount if desired)
• 3 Tbsp cashews, chopped
• 2 Tbsp raisins
Preparation
1. Heat a pan over moderate heat. Dry roast the rice and dal until lightly golden.
Remove from pan and cool on a plate.
2. Wash the rice and dal and drain.
3. In a heavy saucepan, boil milk over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat
and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Add the rice and dal. Stirring often, (make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of
the pan) cook until the grains are cooked and the mixture is thick, and reduces
to a pudding like consistency. (it would take almost an hour to get it cooked to
reach this consistency)
5. Combine the jaggery and 1 Tbsp of water in another saucepan over
moderately low heat. Once the jaggery melts, remove the syrup from heat.
Pass the syrup through a sieve, and add to the rice and dal mixture. Discard
the residue. Add the cardamom powder. And continue cooking over low heat
until the rice pudding is thickened.
6. Heat 1 Tbsp of ghee in a small pan, saute the cashews until golden, and
raisins until they swell up. Add to the Pongal. Add the rest of the ghee and mix
to intensify the flavors.
Serves
10-15