Sarkarai Pongal/Sweet Pongal with Jaggery சர்க்கரைப் பொங்கல்

Sweet Pongal/சர்க்கரைப் பொங்கல் is liked by one and all and it is very easy to cook in 'Pressure Cooker'.  It can be cooked in a very short span of time. Since we use Jaggery- natural sugar, ghee and green gram, it’s a healthy sweet too.

Ingredients:

Raw Rice/பச்சரிசி - 3/4 Cup

Moong Dhal/SplitGreen gra/Mung Bean

பாசிப்பருப்பு  - 1/4 Cup

Jaggery/வெல்லம் - 3/4 to 1 Cup (according to sweet preference)

Elachi/Cardamom/ ஏலக்காய் - 1

Grated Coconut/தேங்காய் துருவல் - 1 tbsp

Ghee/Clarified Butter/நெய் - 3 to 4 tbsp

Garnish -Ghee Roasted Cashew nuts - 5 to 7

(முந்திரிப்பருப்பு)

Method:

Wash the rice and green gram lentil together thoroughly and add 3 Cups of water. Pressure cook for in medium flame for about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a pan add 1 tablespoon of ghee and stir in the cooked rice mixture. Mix well until get mashed, now add Jaggery and mix thoroughly. Add more ghee, cook for few minutes. Stir in grated coconut and add rest of the ghee.

Garnish with roasted Cashew nuts and serve hot.

It makes very good for Prasadham/Neivedhyam/offering for God.

Boli/Pooran Boli

Boli/Pooran Boli

Boli is a sweet made out of refined wheat flour with sweet stuffing.

Here I've used whole wheat flour with little plain flour. (Ratio 3:1).

(At times, I simply use the Chapathi flour which is whole wheat flour and the Bolis turn out excellent.)

Whole wheat flour is rich in fiber and low in cholesterol.  Whole wheat flour makes the Boli very soft and the plain flour makes it more elastic and pliable.

You can save the stuffing or Pooranam in fridge and use it, as and when you need. It will be very handy, when you get unexpected guests.

Ingredients for the Dough:

Whole wheat flour - 1&1/2 Cups

Plain Flour - 1/2 Cup

Warm water - 1  cup (as required)

Olive Oil  -  1 tbsp.

Salt - 1/4tsp.

Sugar - 2 tsp.

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp. (optional)

Ghee - for cooking

Melted Ghee!

Cooked Split Channa Dhal/Kadalai Paruppu!

Ingredients for the Stuffing/Pooranam:

Kadalai Paruppu/Split Channa Dhal/Bengal gram - 1/2 Cup

Crushed Jaggery/ Poditha Vellam - 1/2 Cup

Powdered Elakkai/Elachi - 2
(Just pound the seeds)

Wheat flour & Plain flour!

Method:

Prepare the dough first, so that it can rest for sometime, which will give a soft texture.

Combine wheat flour, plain flour, salt and sugar. Pour the oil and mix well, add warm water little by little and knead for few minutes. Cover with a kitchen towel, set aside.


Wash and soak Kadalai Paruppu- split Channa dhal in one and half cups of water. Cook in pressure cooker for 8 to 10 minutes, careful not to overlook, otherwise it will become watery.  Drain the excess water, cool and grind in a mixer, to make a paste.

In a kadai/pan add 1 tsp. of ghee; add jaggery and the ground paste.  Cook in low heat for few minutes, until it become non-sticky.

Make small balls out of the dough, flatten and stuff them with pooran.  Roll out and cook both sides in a pan, with a dash of ghee on each side.

Stack them in a container lined with kitchen towel.

Soft Boli is ready to serve.

whole Wheat Flour!

Boli/Pooran Boli

Pasiparuppu Payasam/Moong Dhal Kheer/Split Green Gram Dessert

Pasiparuppu Payasam/Moong Dhal Kheer/Split Green Gram Dessert

Split Green Gram is rich in Protein, yet it is easily digested. It doesn’t cause flatulence

like other grams, that’s why it often finds its place in baby food and restricted diet

(pathiyam) for sick and elderly. 

Paruppu payasam or Split Green gram dessert is made during festivals and Poojas as

‘Prasad’/’Offerings for God’.

It’s a Chettinad traditional dessert, which is suitable even for ‘toddlers’.

Ingredients:

Pasiparuppu/Split Green gram/Moong dhal – ½ Cup

Elakkai/Cardamom – 2

Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp. (or)

Fresh Coconut milk – ¼ Cup

Crushed Jaggery/Natural Palm Sugar – ½ Cup

Cashews – 5

Ghee – 2 tsp.

Method:

Cooked Split Green Gram/Pasiparuppu

Crushed Jaggery/Palm Sugar

Fresh Coconut Milk!

  

Roasted Cashews with Ghee

Cook the Moong dhal/split Green gram for 10 to 12 minutes in pressure cooker,

with crushed Cardamom.  Mash it well and set aside.

Roast Cashews in 2 tsp. of ghee and save it for ‘garnishing’.

In a pan, add crushed jaggery and the mashed green grams, mix well add little water. 

Let it boil for few minutes.  Switch off, add quarter cup of fresh coconut milk,

Combine well and toss in the cashews with ghee.  Protein packed mild sweet dessert

is ready to serve.

Pasiparuppu Payasam/Moong Dhal Kheer/Split Green Gram Dessert

I’ve explained the procedure to make fresh coconut milk, in the recipe for ‘Appam’.

Refer to the following link:


http://www.singaporechettinadrecipes.blogspot.sg/search/label/Chettinad%20Specials

Chettinad Kavani Arisi/ Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

Kavani Arisi/ Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

In Singapore/Malaysian style, sweet glutinous rice is often served as desserts, whereas in Chettinad, sweet glutinous rice is taken with ‘Breakfast’.  Black glutinous rice/Kavani arisi is rich in fibre and also packed with Vitamins, Minerals and Anti-oxidants. This recipe is very simple, without much effort, we make healthy yet delicious sweet. 

Black Glutonious Rice!

Ingredients:

Kavani Arisi/Black Glutinous Rice – 1 Cup

Water – 2&1/2  to 3 Cups

Grated (fresh) Coconut – 1 tbsp.

Sugar – ¼ Cup

Ghee/Clarified butter – 1 tbsp.

Method:

Soak the glutinous rice for minimum, 2 to 3 hours. If possible soak glutinous rice the night before, if you're making the sweet for breakfast.  Soaking for 6 to 8 hours improves the texture tremendously, the rice will become really soft after cooking.

Soaking reduces the cooking time, pressure cook rice for 8 to 10 minutes. Combine rice, sugar, ghee and grated coconut well.  Sweet Glutinous rice/Kavani arisi is ready to serve.

If not for 'ghee', you can substitute with 'melted butter'

To enhance the taste and to make it healthier, I use 'Raw Sugar' instead of Castor Sugar.

This sweet/desert may be new to many of you, especially children. Children are used to acquired taste. so, its better to introduce healthy food when they are young.

kavani arisi/Black glutinous rice dessert!

Optional Ingredient:

Pasiparuppu/Moong Dhal/Green gram - 2 tbsp.

You  can cook moong dhal/pasiparuppu, along with rice, to add protein content to it.


With Coconut Milk:

Alternatively, you can use coconut milk instead of coconut, the texture will be even softer.

Make fresh coconut milk by grinding 1/4 cup of fresh coconut and squeezing the milk with cotton towel.  To grind use warm water, so as to get more milk, if coconut is fresh you can get more milk, if frozen, thaw it before grinding.  With coconut milk, you can skip ghee.

Black Glutinous Rice dessert with Coconut milk