Sarkkarai Pongal ( Sweet Pongal )

Ingredients:

Raw rice or sona massori - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup ( powdered )
Cashews - 6 nos
Raisins - 6 nos
Cardomon -3 nos
Ghee - 4 table spoon
Water - 4 1/2 cups.

Method:

• Wash the rice, and heat 1 spoon of ghee and roast the moong dal until they turn light pink.
• In the same pan heat with 1 spoon of ghee and fry the cashews and raisins until they turn golden, and keep them aside.
• Now melt jaggery with 1/2 cup of water on a low flame. No syrup consistency required.
• Cook the rice and dal with 4 cups of water in pressure cooker.
• Then add cooked rice and dal mixture to the jaggery syrup, and mix well.
• Add the powdered cardamon, fried cashews, raisins and leftover ghee to it and stir.
• Cook everything on low flame until it thickens.
• Serve hot.

Rava Kesari

Ingredients:
Rawa – 1 cup

Sugar - 1cup

Ghee – 4 to 6 tablespoons

Cashewnuts – few

Raisins - few

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Kesaricolour – 1teaspoon

Method:

• In a kadai, put two tablespoon ghee and fry the rawa. Remove it.


• In the same kadai, put one tablespoon ghee and fry cashew nuts and raisins separately and keep it aside.


• In a heavy bottomed vessel pour two cups of water and bring to boil.


• When it is boiling add the rawa and stir continuously till the rawa is thick and cooked soft.


• Make sure there is no lump.The rava has to cook well.


• When it is fully cooked, add the sugar and stir well.


• When the sugar is fully dissolved, add kesari colour powder and mix well.


• Add remaining ghee now. keep stirring until the rava starts leaving the sides of the pan.


• Garnish with cardamom powder, fried cashew nuts and raisins.