Varagu Arisi Sakkarai Pongal | Kodo Millet Sweet Pongal Recipe

As the Pongal festival is approaching, i want to post this healthy and traditional millet sweet pongal recipe.  Taste wise there won't be much difference when we use this kudo millet but when it comes to health this millet is loaded with lots of nutritious substance like vitamin B, B6, Niacin, Folic acid as well as Calcium, Potassium and Zinc. 

Coming to the recipe...

Ingredients:

• Kodo Millet | Varagu Arisi – 1 Cup
• Yellow Moong Dal – ½ Cup
• Jaggery – 1 or 1 & ½ Cup (as per your sweet req.)
• Cardamom – 3 or 4
• Coconut Piece – 1 handful
• Cashews and Raisins – 2 tablespoon
• Ghee – as required.

Method:

• Wash the millet and dal well.
• Pressure cooks it with 3 and ½ cup of water for 4 whistles.
• Meanwhile add a cup of water to jaggery and allow to heat until it dissolve well in water.
• Filter the jaggery syrup, add cardamom powder and keep it aside.
• Once the pressure is released open a cooker and add the jaggery syrup.
• Cook in slow flame. If required add little water.
• In a separate pan fry coconut till golden brown, then add cashews and raisins.
• Once the dry nuts get roasted pour it to the pressure cooker and mix it gently.
• Allow to cook until you get nice aroma or for 10 more minutes so that the jaggery get cooked.
• If you want you can add extra ghee at this stage.
• Serve it hot or cool.

Brown Channa Sweet Sundal

It's Navrathri season, every one is busy in making Sundal, Neivedhyam and in decorating golu steps.
It's a colorful month, with daily feast in most of our home.

Being a sweet tooth, i can't resist my self from making this sweet sundal.
Not only it is sweet, Yeah it's loaded with lot's of Iron and Protein. Generally, we know that brown channa has high amount of Iron in it, and the addition of Jaggey increase the iron content and makes this recipe Iron rich.

Ingredients:

Brown Channa Sundal - 100 gm
Jaggery - 50 gm
Cardamom - 3 pinch
Grated coconut  - 1/2 cup.

Method :

Soak the channa overnight or upto 8 to 12 hours.

Drain the water, wash it and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistle or until done.

Once the channa is cooked drain and keep it aside.

Heat a Pan add the Powdered Jaggery stir so that it will melt.

Add the Channa sundal, Cardamom powder and Grated Coconut.

Mix well until the Jaggery get stick to the channa and all the water evaporate.

Once done switch off and Serve.

Note:  Do not waste the water which we get from pressure cooking channa, it's highly nutritious, make it a soup.