Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • Raw Rice - 1 cup
  • Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
  • Jaggery (crushed) - 1.5 cups
  • Ghee - 1/4 cup
  • Water - 4 cups (to cook the rice and dal)
  • water + 2 cups coconut milk.
  • Water - 1 cup (to melt the jaggery)
  • Cardamon Powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Cashews, Almonds, Raisins or Coconut Pieces - about 1/4 cup
  • Saffron Strands - a pinch (optional)

Instruction

  • Take a pressure cooker and dry roast the moong dal for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the rice to this. Now add the 4 cups of water (with milk if adding) and 1 tsp ghee.
  • Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles till the rice and dal is cooked soft. You can also cook the mixture in a rice cooker or an open pot.
  • In the meantime, heat 1 tblsp of ghee and fry the nuts and raisins. Keep this aside.
  • Next, melt the crushed jaggery with 1 cup of water in a heavy bottomed pot/pan.
  • Once the jaggery has melted, you can strain it to remove any dirt. This step can be skipped if the jaggery is pure.
  • Return the strained jaggery back to the pot. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • Mash the cooked rice-dal mixture partially and add it to the simmering jaggery syrup.
  • Add the remaining ghee, cardamon powder, saffron strands and the roasted nuts. Mix together and let it simmer for few minutes till everything comes together into a gooey pongal consistency.
  • Switch off.