Barnyard Millet Sweet Pongal ( குதிரைவாலி பனங்கல்கண்டு பொங்கல்)

Barnyard Millet Sweet Pongal 

 குதிரைவாலி பனங்கல்கண்டு பொங்கல்

Ingredients:

Barnyard Millet (குதிரைவாலி அரிசி)  - 1/2 cup

Yellow split gram / Moong dhal (பாசிப்பருப்பு)  - 1 tablespoon

Palm sugar / Palm Candy Cystals (பனங்கல்கண்டு)  - 1 cup

Cashewnuts (முந்திரி பருப்பு)  - 5

Ghee or  Butter (நெய்)  - 2 tbsp

Powder the palm crystals using a dry blender  and fry the cashew nuts in ghee. 

In a heavy bottom pan, heat half a spoon of ghee. Roast the millet and the split gram.

Pressure cook the millet and gram with twice the amount of water. Smoothen the cooked millet with a ladle and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add quarter cup of water and the powdered palm sugar. Allow it to boil for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Using a sieve ( to remove the impurities from the sugar) pour the sugar syrup to the boiled millet, 

Transfer the content to the pan, cook on medium flame. Add the remaining 1 or 1 and half spoon of ghee and mix well. When the sweet starts to leave the sides of the pan, transfer to serving bowl.

My Notes:
Palm sugar does not have a sharp sweet taste as its counterpart, the cane sugar. But it has an upper hand with health benefits and low GI index than cane sugar.

This palm sugar is mostly used as a remedy for cold, sore throat. Together with turmeric powder and black pepper powder, it is mixed with warm milk and consumed at night to relieve your sore throat or blocked nose. During our childhood days it is just popped up after offering to the deities during daily prayers at home.

Kalkandu / the sugar crystals are used to make sweet pongal. I wanted to try replacing that with palm sugar and it came out well. Also the normal rice with the millet.
I have used almost twice the amount of palm sugar as that of the millet. If desired can increase slightly to suit the taste .

If you want the millet to cook well, my suggestion is to soak it for 20 minutes to half hour and then pressure cook.

The flavouring agent such as cardamom, edible camphor or saffron is not used as I did not want to mask the original flavour of the palm sugar. Otherwise its unique taste will go unnoticed ;))

I had made this sweet as aadi perukku special last week. Though the festival not observed in my family, I used to prepare a sweet and a variety rice, offer and say a prayer. It is just a thanksgiving and respect to river Kaveri, for that matter any water source. Seeking blessing and harmony for the family.