<p><strong>Sweet date </strong><strong>pongal</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong> 1 cup rice, ½ cup green gram, ½ cup wet dates paste, ½ cup jaggery powder, ¼ cup finely grated carrots, ½ cup dessicated coconut powder, a few cashews and raisins, ½ tsp nutmeg powder, a pinch of edible camphor, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ cup ghee.</p>.<p><strong>Method: </strong>Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashew nuts, copra and remove. In the same ghee, lightly fry the green gram dal. Wash rice, mix with dal, carrot & turmeric, and pressure cook till tender, then mash well. In a thick-bottomed pan, cook the mashed mix with jaggery, raisins and the date paste till well blended, adding ghee little by little. Cook till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Add copra, cashewa and crushed camphor and nutmeg powder. Mix well and serve hot. </p>.<p><strong>Tip</strong>: Half a glass of milk may be added along with water while pressure cooking the rice and dal.</p>.<p><strong>Peas ‘n’ carrot </strong><strong>pongal</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients: </strong>1 cup rice, ½ cup green gram, ¼ cup green peas, ¼ cup finely diced carrot or largely grated, salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric and asafoetida, 2 tbsp grated copra, 1 tsp chopped ginger. </p>.<p>Seasoning: 4 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp crushed pepper.</p>.<p><strong>Method:</strong> Pressure cook rice, dal, green peas & carrot with turmeric and ghee till soft. Heat the remaining ghee. Add cumin and pepper, once they splutter, add chopped ginger, cashew nuts, asafoetida, copra and curry leaves. Once brown, lightly add the cooked mix along with salt and mix well. Saute for a few seconds, till well blended and serve hot with tamarind sauce or thick curds. </p>.<p><strong>Tip:</strong> You can also use avarekai instead of peas here.</p>.<p><strong>Sweet til mixture</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients: </strong>½ cup roasted til seeds, ¼ cup roasted and dehusked split groundnuts, 1/8 cup roasted Bengal gram, ¼ cup roasted cashews, 1 tbsp crushed poppy seeds, ¼ cup toasted almond slivers, ¼ cup tiny copra cubes, ½ cup tiny jaggery cubes, 1 tbsp multi-coloured & sugar-coated caraway seeds, ¼ tsp cardamom powder, ¼ tsp Cadbury gems, ½ cup crushed cornflakes.</p>.<p><strong>Method: </strong>Mix all these ingredients together, shake well. Store in an airtight jar.</p>.<p><strong>Til mixture</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong> ½ cup roasted nylon til seeds, ½ cup crushed potato chips, ½ cup cornflakes, ¼ cup roasted & dehusked groundnuts, ¼ cup roasted Bengal gram, ¼ cup copra cubes.</p>.<p><strong>Method</strong>: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Store in an airtight jar. This remains good for 3-4 weeks. </p>
<p><strong>Sweet date </strong><strong>pongal</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong> 1 cup rice, ½ cup green gram, ½ cup wet dates paste, ½ cup jaggery powder, ¼ cup finely grated carrots, ½ cup dessicated coconut powder, a few cashews and raisins, ½ tsp nutmeg powder, a pinch of edible camphor, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ cup ghee.</p>.<p><strong>Method: </strong>Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashew nuts, copra and remove. In the same ghee, lightly fry the green gram dal. Wash rice, mix with dal, carrot & turmeric, and pressure cook till tender, then mash well. In a thick-bottomed pan, cook the mashed mix with jaggery, raisins and the date paste till well blended, adding ghee little by little. Cook till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Add copra, cashewa and crushed camphor and nutmeg powder. Mix well and serve hot. </p>.<p><strong>Tip</strong>: Half a glass of milk may be added along with water while pressure cooking the rice and dal.</p>.<p><strong>Peas ‘n’ carrot </strong><strong>pongal</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients: </strong>1 cup rice, ½ cup green gram, ¼ cup green peas, ¼ cup finely diced carrot or largely grated, salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric and asafoetida, 2 tbsp grated copra, 1 tsp chopped ginger. </p>.<p>Seasoning: 4 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp crushed pepper.</p>.<p><strong>Method:</strong> Pressure cook rice, dal, green peas & carrot with turmeric and ghee till soft. Heat the remaining ghee. Add cumin and pepper, once they splutter, add chopped ginger, cashew nuts, asafoetida, copra and curry leaves. Once brown, lightly add the cooked mix along with salt and mix well. Saute for a few seconds, till well blended and serve hot with tamarind sauce or thick curds. </p>.<p><strong>Tip:</strong> You can also use avarekai instead of peas here.</p>.<p><strong>Sweet til mixture</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients: </strong>½ cup roasted til seeds, ¼ cup roasted and dehusked split groundnuts, 1/8 cup roasted Bengal gram, ¼ cup roasted cashews, 1 tbsp crushed poppy seeds, ¼ cup toasted almond slivers, ¼ cup tiny copra cubes, ½ cup tiny jaggery cubes, 1 tbsp multi-coloured & sugar-coated caraway seeds, ¼ tsp cardamom powder, ¼ tsp Cadbury gems, ½ cup crushed cornflakes.</p>.<p><strong>Method: </strong>Mix all these ingredients together, shake well. Store in an airtight jar.</p>.<p><strong>Til mixture</strong></p>.<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong> ½ cup roasted nylon til seeds, ½ cup crushed potato chips, ½ cup cornflakes, ¼ cup roasted & dehusked groundnuts, ¼ cup roasted Bengal gram, ¼ cup copra cubes.</p>.<p><strong>Method</strong>: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Store in an airtight jar. This remains good for 3-4 weeks. </p>