Try delicious Pongal with a twist

• Dry roast the moong dal till the nice aroma comes out. Allow it to cool down completely.
• Dry roast the foxtail millet / thinai rice for 2 mins or get really hot. Allow it to cool down completely.
• Mix the foxtail millet rice and moong dal together and wash them well. Then soak it in 2 cups of water for 10 to 15 mins.
• In a pressure cooker, add the rice, moong dal mixture with 3 1/2 cups of water (add soaked water also).
• Pressure cook for 1 whistle in high flame and keep the flame in simmer and cook for 10 more mins.
• Meanwhile, add grated Jaggery and ¼ cup of water in a heavy bottom pan. Heat them at low flame till the Jaggery melts completely. 
• When Jaggery starts melting, continuously stir the Jaggery syrup using the ladle . After jaggery melts completely, switch off the flame and strain the syrup using the steel filter. Keep it aside.
• After pressure has gone, add the jaggery syrup, cardamom powder and honey. Mix them well.
• Heat the ghee in a small pan. Add cashew nuts and dry grapes. Sauté till they become golden color.
• Temper the pongal with fried nuts. Mix them well and transfer it into a serving bowl.
• Delicious thinai or Foxtail millet honey pongal is ready.

• You can use the rice and dal soaked water also. 
• You should not keep the pongal in the cooker itself. Because the pongal will becomes thick soon.
• Adjust the jaggery and honey level according to your taste.
• Adjust the nuts level as per your choice.

• Dry roast the moong dal at medium flame till the nice aroma comes out from the dal. Transfer it into a dry plate and allow it to cool down completely.
• In the same pan, dry roast the millet rice till it gets warm . Allow it to cool down completely.
• Mix the roasted dal and millet rice together and wash them twice.
• Then soak them with 1 cup of water for 15 mins.
• Pressure cook them with 4 cups of water including soaked water for 1 whistle in high flame. Then keep the flame at simmer and cook for 10 mins. Then switch off the flame.
• Meanwhile, add powdered palm jaggery and ¼ cup of water in a heavy bottom vessel. Heat them at low flame till the palm jaggery melts completely. 
• When palm jaggery starts melting, occasionally stir the syrup using the ladle to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan. 
• After palm jaggery melts completely, switch off the flame and strain the syrup using the steel filter. Keep it aside.
• Heat the ghee in a pan, fry the cashew nuts till they become golden brown.
• Then add the dry grapes and fry till they become swollen / fluffy.
• After the pressure has gone, open the cooker and give a stir. Then add the palm jaggery syrup, crushed cardamom pods and fried nuts with ghee. 
• Mix them gently and heat them at low flame for 5 mins. At this stage stir occasionally using the ladel. Yummy and very healthy palm sugar pongal is ready to serve!

• Use any variety of millet rice or normal raw rice.
• Adjust the palm sugar level according to your taste.

• Wash the rice and green gram dal/paasiparuppu/mung dal, drain the water and keep it aside.
• Crush the rock candy/kalkandu and keep it aside.
• Heat ½ tbsp of ghee/clarified butter in a pressure-cooker, add in the rice and green gram dal/paasiparuppu/mung dal, and cook until the raw smell goes off.
• Pour in 3 cups of milk and a cup of water, let it boil and pressure-cook it for 3 whistles.
• Remove the lid when the pressure subsides, the rice should be mashing consistency or should be mashed. Mash the rice and dal with a spoon (no lumps should be formed).
• Transfer it to a non-stick kadhai and keep in medium flame.
• Pour over the leftover milk and bring it to boil.
• Heat a tbsp of ghee/clarified butter, add in the cashew nuts and cook until it starts turning golden brown.
• Add in the raisins and cook until it doubles in size, pour it to the boiling rice along with the leftover ghee/clarified butter.
• Add in the crushed kalkandu/rock candy and cook until it melts.
• Keep on stirring once in a while, else it would be burnt.
• Cook until it thickens and the ghee/clarified butter separates and floats on the sides of the rice. Serve hot. Goes out well for breakfast, as an offering to god.

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