Procedure

Mix rice and green gram (split), cook, add two table spoons of ghee, mix well and keep aside. Add jaggery in small pieces to a glass of water and heat in a separate pan. Boil for about 5 minutes. When it becomes a concentrated solution add the cooked rice and dal mix. Keep stirring. If you want a more creamy consistency, add spoonful of ghee periodically and keep stirring for about 10 minutes.

Prepare for the garnishing. First roast the cashew nuts in ghee. Take three spoons of ghee and cashew nuts in a pan and roast them on slow fire. When they turn golden brown remove them from the ghee and keep aside. Roast the almonds in the same ghee till the colour changes slightly. Remove the almonds and keep aside. Roast the raisins in the same ghee till the colour changes slightly. Remove the raisins and keep aside. [This ghee can be used to add to the Sakkarapongal.] Powder the cardamom after removing the outer skin. Grind the inner black granules to a fine powder and keep aside. Take the saffron, add two drops of milk and grind it to a paste. The saffron and the milk should mix well. It will be a sort of orangish paste. Powder the nutmeg and keep it aside.

Along with the other ingredients used for garnishing, nutmeg is also powdered and added for this dish. This gives a special flavour which is typical for Sakkarapongal .

Add the saffron paste and mix well. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powder and mix well. Remove from the fire and decorate with the roasted cashew nuts, almonds and raisins.

Add two spoons of ghee, cover the pan and keep it aside for 10 mts.

Now Sakkarapongal, the exotic dessert is ready to serve.

Ingredients required

1. ghee 500 gm

2. rice 250 gm

3. Yellow lentils, Moong dal 100 gm

4. jaggery 500 gm

5. cashew nut 150 gm

6. almond 100 gm

7. raisin 100 gm

8. saffron 0.5gm

9. cardamom 10 gm

10. nutmeg 5 gm