Hello dear friends and readers. Wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!!!! I hope you all had a good break and enjoyed your time with family and loved ones.
I'm starting the first post of the new year with a sweet and healthy dish. Millets are becoming very popular now. As you know millets are packed with goodness and is a good substitute for rice. Pongal festival is coming up and sakkarai pongal is an inevitable sweet made during this festival. This healthy version of pongal is made with varagu arisi or kodo millet instead of rice. The taste is quite similar to rice version of the pongal. So for this Pongal festival, try this healthy version of pongal with millet.
VARAGU ARISI / KODO MILLET PONGAL RECIPE
Ingredients:
1/2 cup varagu arisi / kodo millet
3 tbsp yellow moong dal / paasiparuppu
1 cup jaggery, grated
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
3 tbsp ghee
5-6 cashewnuts
7-8 raisins
Method:
1. In a small pan, add 1 tsp ghee and fry the cashew nuts and raisins.
2. Dry roast the dal until nice aroma comes. The dal should not change color.
3. Wash the dal and the millet together. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Once cool, mash and keep aside.
4. In a sauce pan, add the jaggery and 1/4 cup water. Once the jaggery has melted, strain the jaggery.
5. To the jaggery syrup, add the cooked millet, milk, cardamom powder, ghee and mix well. Cook for couple of minutes. Add the cashewnuts and raisins.
Notes and Tips
Adjust the amount of jaggery as per your sweetness.
