Coarse Wheat grain pudding (கோதுமை ரவை கருப்பட்டி பொங்கல் )

Coarse Wheat grain pudding 

 ( கோதுமை ரவை கருப்பட்டி பொங்கல் )

Ingredients:

Coarse Wheat grain /Wheat rava (கோதுமை ரவை )  - 1 cup

Moong Dal ( பாசிபருப்பு )  - 1/4 cup

Palm Sugar ( கருப்பட்டி )  - 1 1/2 cup (pounded)

Ghee  ( நெய் )  -  4 tbsp

Cashew nuts ( முந்திரிபருப்பு ) - 6 to 8 ( halved )

Steps:

Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Fry the cashew nuts and keep aside. In the same ghee, roast the wheat rava and the moong dal separately until fragrant.

Transfer the wheat rava and moong dal to a container, add 3 cups of water. Close the vessel and place it in a pressure cooker and cook well.
Once cooked and still warm, mash the wheat rava and dal together. keep aside.
Add one cup of water to the pounded palm sugar. Heat and allow it to melt completely. Strain to remove the impurities and bring back it to boil. Boil for 3 to 4 min.
Add this syrup to the cooked wheat rava and mix well. Add in the remaining 2 tbsp ghee and cook in a low medium flame for another 3 to 4 min.
Finally add in the fried cashew nuts and serve this as a starter for a lunch or as a dessert.

My Notes:

Way back in mid '90 s, my Mother got the recipe of  wheat rava venn pongal ( savory pongal with pepper and cumin) from one of the cookery show in Doordarshan channel, Pothigai and used to prepare that as an alternative healthy version and also when we get bored with the rice venn pongal. Later on, we felt why not the sweet version as well instead of the regular rice sakarai pongal.

In the last few years, I have substituted the jaggery for palm sugar as the later is more healthy and gives an authentic flavor.

I prepare this often as an offering for Shridi Sai Baba at the temple as well as to our satsangh. Food with wheat products are specially offered to him.

It is a hit at one of the Lalitha Sahasranamam Parayanam session at a friend' place.

It is easily cooked and liked by all. 

I include moong dal mostly in my sweet pongal recipes so as to have the protein part in the dish and also it enhances the pongal' taste. 

The seasoning - cardamom and camphor which is synonymous with sweet pongal is not used here as I feel that both over powers the unique flavour of palm sugar. So this dessert is relished with the simple yet striking flavour of palm sugar. But it is a personal choice. If you feel, an Indian sweet is incomplete without cardamom , just go ahead and add.