Friday, January 22, 2010

Sugar cubes/candy rice (Kalkandu Sakkarai pongal)

Let us start new year with a sweet dish. Wish you all a very happy new year. Happy reading

Sugar candy rice (Kalkandu Sakkarai pongal) preparation time 30 - 40 mins
Traditional thai  pongal recipe. Mom used to make this pongal only during the pongal festival which come during January month. It will have a unique taste on the sugar candy (kalkandu)
Very tasty pongal and goes well with spicy masal vadai

I am sure you all will try this kalkandu sakkarai pongal for this pongal. Wish you all a very happy pongal ( Iniya pongal nal vazthukal).

My mom and in-law used to make other varieties of pongal also I.e, milagu pongal, vellam pongal, softly made white rice ( they used to call it as nandal) which will be kept in a banana leaf with plain jaggery, banana and ghee in the middle.

In addition to pongal they used to make sambhar, rasam, chips, appalam, kootu,poriyal,etc. In villages they used to prepare the pongal in mud pot in the middle of vasal (open space) as this festival is mainly for thanking sun for good harvest. Usually the harvest will be over so they will use newly harvested rice for making the pongal

Ingredients:-
Rice - 2 cup/200 gm (If you cook rice with 1:3 ratio of water cook rice with little more water for pongal preparation 1:3.5)
Sugar candy (Kalkandu) - 500 gms (Big candy is preferable) wash in water and keep
Cashew - 8 (finely chopped)
Ghee - 5 tbsp or according to your taste
Raisins - 6
Milk - 25 ml
Sugar - 5 to 10 gms
Saffron food color - pinch or saffron dipped in milk (optional)

Preparation method:
Pressure cook the rice with above proportion of water.
When rice is cooked mash well. In a vessel add the milk and make it to boil (usually the milk will boil and come to top of the vessel @ this time only we will say pongalo pongal :-)). Now add the mashed rice, sugar candies and mix well.
Slowly the sugar candy will be dissolved. You have to keep stirring else it will stick to bottom. Add little amount of ghee. The texture of rice will get changed from pure white. You can add the saffron color if required.
In a pan add ghee, cashew and raisin. Roast to light brown and add to kalkandu sakkarai pongal. Serve this hot with ghee (add ghee while serving it will be very tasty) and masal vadai.

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