Chakkara pongal (Indian style Sweet Rice porridge)

Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 1 cup
Moong dal- 2 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup (adjust according to your sweet tooth - available in Indian stores)
Cashewnuts - 4
Golden raisins - 10
Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder - a pinch
Pachai karporam- a pinch (optional)
Ghee - 3 tbsp

Preparing the rice and dal is similar to my instructions mentioned in the Venpongal recipe. Refer to my Venpongal recipe for details.
In a saute pan, heat the ghee, add cashews and roast them till golden, add the raisins and keep it separate.
In a deep pan, put the jaggery and add some water. Heat it and when it comes to a boil, strain it to remove any dust particles. Reheat the jaggery for 5-7 mins and add the rice mixture and keep boiling till it meshes well together. Now add the roasted cashews and raisins. Sometimes, I add heavy cream or milk. After switching it off, add the cardamom, nutmeg and pachai karporam powders. Ready to serve! This is one of my husband's favorites and it's really hard to take a picture since he gobbles it up so quickly :)

மைக்ரோவேவ் தூத் பேடா

Even when I was sick, I never stopped cooking for a single day. Two reasons, one is to relax myself and the second is my husband's hand was hurt as well. At this stressful time, I had to organize and prepare my students for Gurukulam Day (I volunteer as a teacher in Sunday school). The rehearsals went really well and all my students got a really great reputation for their excellent work at such a small age. One of the rehearsal days, I wanted to surprise them with something sweet. I came across this recipe which sounded too simple to make. It indeed was simple except for the hand-action and muscle work!!



Ingredients:

Instant Dry Milk (Milk Powder) – 2 cups (150gm)
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1, 14oz can (396gm)
Unsalted Butter – 1, 4oz stick (113gm)

Method:

1.In a microwave safe dish, melt the butter.
2.Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3.Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring very well after every minute.
4.After the 3 minutes, mix well again and leave aside for the mixture to cool down enough to handle.
5.Once the mixture has cooled down, grease your hands and make balls.
6.Gently press the balls and flatten them to shape…round and flat.
7.Decorate them with colored sugar, almonds, cashews, pistachios or raisins.
8.Let the pedas set and cool down.
9.For a pretty presentation, place them in baking cups and serve.

Tips:

1.Powder some cardamom seeds and add to the mixture for additional flavor. (I added some cardamom powder)
2.Roll out the peda mixture and cut with cookie cutter for some fun shapes.
3.For best results, store in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature.