Kalkandu Pongal / Candy Sugar Pongal

 

How delicious does Kalkandu pongal sound!???! The moment I saw this on my best buddy Sharmis blog, I started drooling for it. I was sure I was going to make it sometime and now was the time. Mom sent me a pack of Kalkandu ( candy sugar) a couple of days back and I ofcourse had to do it :)

I made my pongal a little runny since I dont like them really thick and sticky, alter the recipe by reducing half a cup of water to get a thick pongal.

I am sure you would love to make this as prasadam for god this Navarathri just like how I did :)

Ingredients:

Kalkandu - 1/2 cup

Rice - 1/2 cup

Moong Dhall - 2 tblsp

Water - 2 cups

Milk - 1 cup

Cashews - 10

Raisins - few

Cardamom powder - a pinch

Ghee - 3 tblsp

Method:

Take a tsp of ghee in a pan and fry cashews and raisins separately and keep it aside in a bowl.

Wash rice and transfer to a pressure cooker. 

Dry roast the moong dhall and add it to the pressure cooker. Now pour 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of milk to the cooker and pressure cook until 4 whistles in medium flame. 

Once the pressure releases remove the lid of the cooker and then put it back on flame. Mash the rice nicely using a masher or a laddle. 

Powder the candy sugar (kalkandu) finely and add it to the rice mixture along with the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Now add ghee and mix well. Keep stirring until it becomes thick and sticky. 

Finally add the elachi powder and the fried nuts to it and mix well. 

Serve hot and enjoy eating! :)

Written by: Nithya
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