Chakara Pongal:(Tamizhar Style)

Sakarai Pongal. Sweet Pongal. Inippu Pongal.

Though it is called 'chakara pongal' literally means 'Sugar in Pongal'....They dont use sugar here. They use 'Jaggery' here. 'Jaggery is Indian brown sugar...or kind of crude sugar. I am not sure how to explain 'jaggery'.

Ingredients:

Raw-Half broken rice 1/2 cup
Broken moong dal 1/2 cup (pasi paruppu/pesaru pappu)
Grated jaggery 3/4 cup
Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Milk 2 + 1 cup
Cardamon seeds powder 1-2 spoons
Pachai Karpooram/raw camphor 1-2 pinches(optional)
Ghee/clarified butter 1+1 cup
Cashewnuts 1/2 cup (halved)
Dry grapes/raisins/kismiss - 1/2 cup
.
Method:

Wash rice and dal seperately....for several times. Maybe till the water runs clear. Then soak them togather for 20 minutes.

In a pressure cooker, add few spoons of ghee. Add milk to this.Let the milk, to boil.

Now add soaked rice and dal to this boiling milk.(discard the soaked water) Pressure cook them over medium heat till they are soft or for 3-5 whistles.

Then using a wooden laddle mix the well-cooked rice and dal.

To this add grated coconut and jaggery. Add 1 cup of milk now. Place this over medium heat without lid. Let it consolidate.

Let the milk-jaggery-coconut get well incorporated into this. It should come to 'Pongal' consistency. Add raw camphor to this now and remove from stove.

In a seperate pan, heat ghee. Fry halved cashewnuts till they are golden-reddish color. Set them aside.

In the same ghee, fry dry grapes...till they pop and bulge.

To the above pongal...add fried cashewnuts, fried grapes and 1 cup of ghee. Stir them well.

Serve warm as a main-sweet dish or dessert. Or serve chilled as dessert.