CHHAKKARA PONGAL

CHHAKKARA PONGAL
Chhakkara pongal,is a sweet dish,which is prepared with pesara pappu/moong daal and rice.It is prepared for prasadams in south india,especially in Temples, and south indian homes,for  Lord Sri Maha Vishnu..
Materials:
Rice-1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Pesara pappu 1/2 cup
(yellow colour)
Milk 2 cups
Water 2 cups
Ghee 2 to 3 tbsp
Raisins 10 nos
Cashew nuts 10 nuts
Elaichi powder
of  2 cardamoms
Method:
Place a pan on the stove,add pesara pappu and roast it in low flame, for
3 min.Then switch off the stove and wash pesara pappu 1 time ..Now add rice to it and again wash both of them  for 2 to 3 times.Now add milk and water to it and cook in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles.Switch off the stove and let it cool.
Meanwhile add 1 cup of water to the sugar and boil it, to thin pakkam.After the pressure is gone ,open pressure cooker and pour the sugar pakam and mix well.
Now transfer the total prasadam in to a pan,switch on the stove,and keep the pan and let it be cooked well for a 5 min .
Ina tbsp of ghee fry raisins and cashewnute seperately,now sprinkle the elaichi powder on the chhakkara pongal ,add the remaining ghee ,half of the fried cashew nuts and raisins and mix well.Swich off the stove and garnish with the remaining amount of nuts..Serve hot.This dish is prepared/offered  as naivedyam before god,which enhances more taste..

Iuse less ghee in my kitchen,thats why i recommended only 2 to 3 tbsp.But u can add up to 1 cup of ghee totally if u want to..Iprepared this dish for the 1 st week of sravana sukravaram..