Kalkandu Pongal / Kalkandu Sadam / கல்கண்டு பொங்கல்

This is a traditional dish prepared during festivals. This is offered as prasadam in temples. The taste and flavour of this pongal is very unique. You can check my Sakkarai Pongal Recipe here

Ingredients :

1. Raw Rice - 1 Cup

2. Milk - 4 Cups

3. Kalkandu (Rock Candy / Crystallized Sugar) - 2 Cups or Adjust to your taste

4. Cardamom - 2 Pods

5. Edible Camphor (Pacha Karpooram) - A Pinch

6. Cashew - 10

7. Raisin - 1 tbs

8. Ghee - 4 tbs 

Procedure :

1. Wash rice. Drain water. Roast with one teaspoonful of ghee for few minutes in medium flame.

2. Transfer rice from pan to a thick bottomed deep vessel.  Add milk. 

3. Cook rice in medium flame. Once cooked, add kalkandu, cardamom and edible camphor.Keep stirring the contents till kalkandu is dissolved completely. 

4. Add ghee and mix the contents well.

5. Garnish with ghee fried cashew and raisin.

6. Serve warm with a dollop of ghee.

This Kalkandu Pongal & Sakkarai Pongal make their way to Pari's First Event & Giveaway.

Barley Pongal

I should admit that, this is the very first time I cooked barley. Though aware about the health benefits of Barley, somehow it was not introduced in to our regular cooking. I got this recipe from Geetha Achal's Blog. I made very minor changes to her recipe. She is another health conscious person like Kiran. You can find many healthy dishes in her blog. Thanks to Kiran for this wonderful healthy event.

Ingredients :

1. Barley - 1 Cup

2. Green Gram - 1/2 Cup

3. Pepper - 1 tsp

4. Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

5. Ginger - 1 inch pieces (Crushed)

6. Green Chilly - 2 (Slit Vertically)

7. Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

8. Curry leaf - A Few

9. Oil - 1/2 tbs

10. Ghee

Procedure :

1. Pressure cook barley, green gram dhal ,asafoetida and salt with atleast 4.5 Cups of water.

2. Allow atleast 6 whistle. Open mash well.

3. Then in a pan, heat oil. Add pepper, curry leaf, ginger and green chilly. Fry well.

4. Add this to cooked barley and green gram dhal mixture. Mix well.

5. Serve hot with little ghee (optional) on top and coconut chutney.

You may be interested in :

Ven Pongal(Salt Pongal)

Sakarrai Pongal

Sakkarai Pongal

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1 Cup

2. Moong Dhal - 1/4 Cup (Dry roasted till golden brown)

3. Milk - 2 Cups

4. Jaggery - 1/2 Cup

5. Ghee - 1/2 Cup

6. Cardomom - 4

7. Water - 1 Cup

8. Cashew - 10 (broken)

9. Raisin - 15

Procedure:

1. Cook rice and moong dhal along with milk and water.

2. Fry cashew, raisin and cardomom in 2 tsp of ghee and keep aside.

3. Make a syrup out of jaggery and mix it in the cooked rice & dhal.

4. Keep in low flame for about 10-15 minutes.

5. Finally, mix the fried cashew,raisin and cardomom.

6. Serve hot with little ghee on top.

You may be interested in :

Ven Pongal(Salt Pongal)

Barley Pongal

Who tried this recipe?
1. Priya Satheesh
2. Sharanya

Ven Pongal / Salt Pongal

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1 Cups

2. Moong Dhal - 1/2 Cup

3. Pepper - 1 tsp

4. Jeera - 1 tsp

5. Green Chillies - 2

6. Ginger - 1 inch piece

7. Curry leaf - Small qty

8. Cashew nuts - 10

9. Ghee - 1/4 Cup

10. Salt - Needed qty

11. Water - 5 Cups

Procedure:

1. Cook rice and dhal together.

2. Take ghee in a pan, heat it and add all the other ingredients except salt. Fry well.Keep aside.

3. Once rice and dhal get cooked, add salt and the contents from pan. Mix well.

4. Serve hot with a tsp of ghee on the top.

5. Coconut chutney is the best side dish.

You may be interested in :

Sakkarai Pongal

Barley Pongal

Who tried this recipe?
1. Priya Satheesh
2. Sharanya