Free The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Rice the Indian Way by Prasenjeet Kumar Page A

the pan, the hot oil will keep roasting the cashew nuts and burn them.
    Ghee (clarified butter)-2 tablespoon
    Water-3 cups
    Method
    Wash the rice and dal together and let it dry for 5 minutes
on an inclined plate.
    If using a pressure cooker:
    In a pressure cooker, put the clarified butter and put it on
your heat source.
    As it warms up, add the rice and lentils.
    Stir well.
    Add 2 cups of water and put the lid with the weight on the
cooker.
    After the cooker comes to full pressure (don’t worry, you
will hear that typical sound), switch off the heat source but do NOT release
the pressure.
    Let the pressure cooker cool down by itself.
    Meanwhile, in a pan, melt the jaggery with 1 cup water and
let it come to a boil.
    Open the cooker and add the boiled jaggery to it along with
the roasted cashew nuts.
    Mix well.
    Your Sweet Pongal is ready.
    If using a thick bottomed pan/vessel:
    In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place it on
your heat source.
    When the butter warms up, add the rice and lentil.
    Stir well.
    Add 2 cups of water.
    Cover the pan/vessel with a well-fitting lid.
    Reduce the heat to minimum.
    In other words, if cooking on gas, turn the knob to SIM
(mer). Let the Pongal cook for 15-20 minutes.
    Switch off the heat source and let the rice remain in the
vessel for another 5 minutes.
    Meanwhile, in another pan, melt the jaggery with 1 cup water
and let it come to a boil.
    Open the vessel and add the boiled jaggery to it along with
the roasted cashew nuts.
    Mix well.
    Your Sweet Pongal is ready.
    Prep time: 5 minutes
    Cooking time: 10 minutes with a pressure cooker; 20-25
minutes with a deep pan
    Total time: 15 minutes with a pressure cooker; 25-30 minutes
with a deep pan
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Sakkarai Pongal (Sweet rice-lentil dessert
with milk)
    Ingredients
    Rice-3/4 cup
    Moong Dal (Bengal Gram)-1/4 cup
    Jaggery ( Gud which is unprocessed sugar)-1 cup
    Roasted Cashew nuts-2 tablespoon (fried golden and then
chopped up)
    The method to fry the cashew nuts: in a small pan, add
about a tablespoon of cooking oil. Put the pan on your heat source. When the
oil heats up, add the cashew nuts and stir till they turn golden. Immediately
remove the cashew nuts to a plate and chop. Remember if you leave the cashew
nuts in the pan, the hot oil will keep roasting the cashew nuts and burn them.
    Raisins- 2 tablespoon
    Green Cardamom ( Chhoti Elaichi ) - 3 crushed
    Saffron- 9-10 strands, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm
milk
    Ghee (clarified butter)-2 tablespoon
    Water-2 cups
    Milk- 4 cups
    Method
    Wash the rice and dal together and let it dry for 5 minutes
on an inclined plate.
    If using a pressure cooker:
    In a pressure cooker, put the clarified butter and put it on
your heat source.
    As it warms up, add the rice and lentils.
    Stir well.
    Add 2 cups of water and put the lid with the weight on the
cooker.
    After the cooker comes to full pressure (don’t worry, you
will hear that typical sound), switch off the heat source but do NOT release the
pressure.
    Let the pressure cooker cool down by itself.
    Open the cooker and add the milk.
    Put the cooker on the heat source and let the milk come to a
boil.
    Add the jaggery and let the mixture thicken.
    Keep stirring gently so that the mixture doesn’t burn or
boil over.
    Now add the dissolved saffron and the crushed cardamom.
    Stir well. The consistency should now be of a thick custard.
    Switch off the heat source.
    Keeping aside a few raisins and roasted cashew nuts for
decorating the dish, add the remaining raisins and the roasted cashew nuts.
    Mix well.
    Now decorate the dish with the raisins and roasted cashew
nuts that you had kept aside and serve.
    Your Sakkarai Pongal is ready.
    If using a thick bottomed pan/vessel:
    In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place it on
your heat source.
    When the butter warms up, add the rice and lentil.
    Stir well.
    Add 2 cups of water.
    Cover the pan/vessel with a well-fitting lid.
    Reduce the heat to minimum.
    In other