1/4 cup mung dal rinsed in water and drained
3/4 cup rice rinsed in water and drained
1 cup milk or as required to melt the jaggery
3/4 cup jaggery (also called vellum or gud)
4 to 6 tablespoon of clarified butter or ghee
3 tablespoon sliced coconut bits
3 tablespoon broken cashew
3 tablespoon raisin
2 cups water or as needed
Roast the mung dal on medium heat until it is light brown. Add the rice and water cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the rice is almost cooked but not completely. Add milk and cook till the rice is completely cooked.
Add the jaggery and continue cooking add a little exta milk if necessary to melt the jaggery. As the jaggery heats up it starts to melt. With the aid of the spatula break it up to speed up the jaggery melting. When the jaggery is all melted add the clarified butter continue to cook until the rice and mung dal leaves the side of the pan and forms a mass in the center. Turn the heat off add ground cardamom and mix.
Saute the cashew and raisin in a little clarified butter and add to the pongal.
Next, saute the sliced coconut pieces in a little clarified butter and add to the pongal.
Pongal and Sankranti is a festival celebrated in the middle of January in India.
Pongal is celebrated for four days in Tamil Nadu while Sankranti is celebrated all over India. Pongal is celebrated for thanking The Sun God for the bounties of the harvest. The first day of the celebration is call "Bhogi" and the second day is called "Thai" which is the 1st day of Tamil calender month "Thai". For 2013 Thai falls on January 14. On this day chakkarai(also spelled as sakkarai) pongal is prepared.
Chakkarai pongal is also offered as prasadam any time. It can also be served as an easy to make dessert at other times.
See also Ven Pongal.
Ingredients:
1 cup black beans rinsed, drained and soaked in water overnight (or substitute with canned black beans)
2 cups low sodium vegetable stock or water
4 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 green chili or to taste
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
a few parsley leaves chopped
1 cup chopped tomato
salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation: Heat a pan on medium heat with vegetable stock or water, add the soaked black beans to it and cook for 40 to 45 minutes until the beans are cooked, or the beans can be cooked in the pressure cooker or slow cooker. Once cooked keep it aside.
To a pan on medium heat add 4 tablespoon of oil. Add chopped onions, saute until brown add minced garlic, saute for a few seconds, add chopped green chilies saute for a few second, add Italian seasoning, parsley saute for a few seconds add tomato, mix and cover and cook for 5 minutes until the tomato is cooked. After the tomato is cooked add the the cooked black beans add salt and black pepper as per taste cook for 5 minutes mix and turn the heat off.
Serves 4. Serve with a rice, chapati, tortilla, corn chips and salsa.
This is a very easy recipe. There are so many good things about black beans.
They are very healthy, tasty and filling. It is versatile it can be served with so many dishes.
1 cup rice
3 tablespoon mung dal (optional)
1 cup jaggery
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 to 4 tablespoon of clarified butter or ghee
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. While the rice is soaking, dry roast the mung dal to a light brown color. When the roasted dal has cooled to room temperature grind it to a powder and keep it aside.
Next drain the water and dry roast the soaked rice to a light brown color. Allow it to cool to room temperature after which grind it to a coarse powder in the consistency of rava or sooji and keep it aside.
To a pan on medium heat add water and allow it to come to a boil. Add the jaggery and let it melt. After the jaggery has melted add the coconut, mix, add the powdered rice and the powdered mung dal and mix and stir constantly, when the rice is cooked add clarified butter, stir till it leaves the side of the pan and forms a mass in the middle, turn the heat off and add the ground cardamom.
Serves 4. Serve with Thrivathirai curry.
Thrivathirai is celebrated in the month of December-January whenever the nakshatram thrivathirai falls. It is observed to honor Lord Shiva.
Note: Adding mung dal to this recipe is optional. You can make the dish without the mung dal.
3 assorted root vegetable (yam, cheppankizhangu/arbi, chena/suran total 3 cups)
1 piece of red pumpkin
1/2 cup of avarakai/Sem (pumpkin and avarakai total 2 cups)
1/2 pigeon peas (green whole toor dal, available frozen at the Indian grocer)
1 cup beans
1/2 cup coconut shredded
2 green chili or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
2 cups water or as needed
Grind the coconut and green chili and keep it aside.
Peel the root vegetables rinse them and cut them into same size cubes.
To a pan on medium heat add the pigeon peas cover and cook for 20 minutes. After the pigeon peas has been cooking for 20 minutes add the mixed root vegetables and cook for 10 minutes. After which add the pumpkin and avarakai, turmeric powder and cook for 10 minutes. Add the ground coconut and salt and cook for 3 minutes, mix thoroughly and turn the heat off and season.
Seasoning:
Heat the coconut oil add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop turn the heat off add the curry leaves and add the seasoning to the cooked vegetable.
The listed vegetables and toor dal cook at different times. The toor dal takes longest to cook, followed by the root vegetables, pumpkin and avarakai adding them one at a time at different intervals, you have a dish with all vegetables evenly cooked.
This dish is prepared during the month of December-January during Thiruvathira nakshartra to to honor Lord Shiva. It is served with Thiruvathira kali. This dish can also be served as a side dish to with rice and chapati.
