Millet sweet pongal (Kuthiraivali sakkarai pongal)

I made this millet sweet pongal on saraswathi pooja yesterday. This year since both of them went to school and office, I had to do pooja only in the evening. I finished all the works for the pooja and after Aj came back from piano class, we both did the poojai. Vj was too busy and came late. When I was kid, I used to be thrilled on Saraswathi pooja day coz, we need not read that day . Otherwise also I won’t read every day , still officially no reading that day right?  But we used to help mom from the eve of saraswathi pooja day itself. We wash the windows, dust the house, wipe the doors, frames (nelai padi) – at the bottom of the nelai padi, both sides, we first apply turmeric, then pattai with sandal paste (freshly ground) and put kungumam and decorate the nelai padi. Next day, we keep sandanam and kundumam pottu everywhere. We don’t put viboodhi pattai, only sandhanam and on top of it kunguma  pottu. We used to love that job .

Here I don’t do anything to the nelai padi, only keep pottu everywhere. No mavilai  at the entrance. Usually Aj helps me keep pottu, but this time I did myself. I kept my camera yesterday for myself along with Vj and Aj’s books . I made peanut sundal yesterday along with this and vadai. Otherwise offered fruits, pori, kadalai while poojai.
I followed the same method as out regular sakkarai pongal and made this Barnyard millet sweet pongal (Kuthiraivali in Tamil / Jhangora in Hindi / Odalu in Telugu / Oodalu in Kannada). It was delicious!

Millet sweet pongal recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Sweet
Prep Time: 5 mins    |  Cook time: 25 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Barnyard millet/ Kuthiraivali	1/2 cup
Moong dal/ paasi paruppu	2 tblsp
Jaggery powdered	1/2 cup, heaped
Ghee	3 tblsp or as needed
Cardamom	1
Clove	1
Cashew nuts	6

Method

1. Roast the moong dal in a tsp of ghee until golden (optional). Roasting gives a unique flavor. Wash the millet and add it to the roasted dal.

2. Pressure cook with 2 cups water for 3 to 4 whistles. You can do it directly in a small pressure cooker like me or in a separate container kept inside the cooker.

3. Once done, add powdered jaggery and mix well. If you feel your jaggery has impurities, make syrup by adding water just to immerse the jaggery and melt it, filter to remove impurities and add the syrup. Add to the cooked millet.

4. Fry cashew nut, clove, cardamom in ghee and add cashew, clove to the pongal. Add ghee, powdered elachi  and keep mixing for 3 to 4 minutes.

Notes

• If you cook directly, take care not to over cook as it may get burnt at the bottom.
• You can add a pinch of nutmeg, a mustard sized edible camphor.
• If becomes thicker later, you can add boiled milk and heat a little to make it loose.

It tastes great and there is no compromise in the taste.

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