Kesar Pongal

Kesar Pongal

Kesar Pongal is a pongal with good flavour, colour and taste. It reminds me of the pongal which was served in one of the perumal temples in NY state.
Ingredients
Rice - 1 Cup
Moong Dhal / Payatham Paruppu / Pesara Pappu - 3/4th of a cup
Kesar food Powder - 1 pinch ( If you have saffron, add 1 tsp of saffron)
Sugar- 3/4 th of a cup.
Elachi powder - 1 tsp
Crushed Pista Powder - 1 tbsp.
Pacha Karpooram / Borneo camphor in english - 1 pinch.
Ghee - 2 tbsp.
Cashew Nuts - 1 tbsp.
Method
1. Wash the dal and rice and cook in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. Add 5 cups of water and cook it on a medium flame. Add a pinch of kesar food powder or 1 tsp of saffron to the mix before cooking.
2. After it cools down completely, open and mix it thoroughly.
3. Add powdered sugar, elachi powder, crushed pista powder,pacha karpooram at this point. Stir continously so that no lumps are formed, it does not get stick to the bottom.
4. Cook everything on a low flame at this point.
5. Add ghee and roasted cashew nuts to the pongal now.
6. Mix again and the kesar pongal is now read for neivedhyam.
7. Before serving, just pour little ghee on top of the kesar pongal.

Variations
I prefer not to add milk in this pongal, as it already has heavy dal in it.
You can add milk in your process if you like it that way.

Also, amount of ghee and sugar can vary based on your sweet tooth.

Ashoka Halwa

Today I am going to write about "Ashoka Halwa". Its the first food i made in my lifetime!!! ( Not even coffee or tea and I made it in 9th std with my friend after bunking school for half a day). A small hot packet of Ashoka Halwa which my mom used to bring for us from tiruvaiyuru really took my heart. It became my most favourite sweet since childhood. Tiruvaiyaru ashoka halwa is known for its unique taste and nothing can beat the originality of it. You would have come across this sweet if you have attended any marriages around thanjavur district.

Here comes my version of Ashoka Halwa to you.

Ingredients
Moong Dhal ( Payatham Paruppu / Pesara Pappu) - 1 Cup
Wheat Flour - 1/4 cup.
Sugar - 1 Cup ( More or less depending on your taste).
Elachi Powder - 2 tsp.
Kesar food colour - 1/2 tsp.
Ghee - 1/2 cup. ( For low calorie, add only 1/4 cup).
Milk - 1/2 cup.

Method

1. Cook the Moong dhal ( Payatham Paruppu / Pesara pappu) with milk and water in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles till it becomes tender and softer.
2. Slightly fry the whole wheat flour on a kadai with very little ghee and keep it aside.
3. Open the cooker now and mash the dhal perfectly without any lumps. Add powdered sugar and food colour to the dhal, stir it continously.
4. Slowly add spoons of ghee on the sides while stirring.
5. After it melts, add the elachi powder for good flavour.
6. Also, add the light fried wheat flour into the kadai and stir everything continously.
7. Keep adding spoons of ghee in the middle and stir the mixture till it comes to a thicker consistency like a halwa.
8. Add the remaining ghee and decorate it with cashew nuts. Let it cool for sometime and then taste it.

Variations

Generally i add milk while cooking moong dhal, you can avoid it if you dont like the taste of it. Amounts of sugar and ghee can vary depending upon your taste, weight, calorie counts. 

Tips

Switch off the heat when the halwa mixture is almost nearing the halwa consistency. Dont stir the halwa mix till it becomes hard. When it gets cooled, automatically it gets little thicker. If you have a good quality dal / Paruppu, it tastes very good.