Akkaravadisal - Milk Pongal
 
Akkaravadisal is sweet dish similar to sakkarai pongal but prepared with rice, jaggery and milk. The rice is cooked in milk. This is a typical Tamil Brahmin recipe (Iyengar recipe) and usually made during Pongal festival.

Ingredients

 1/2 cup Raw rice/pacharisi
 2 tbsp Split yellow moong dal pasi paruppu
 4 cups Milk
 1 cup Jaggery
 1/4 cup Ghee
 3 Cardamom powdered
 6-7 Cashew nuts
 25 gms Raisins
 5 strands Saffron
 1 pinch Edible camphor/ Pachai Kalpooram (optional)

Method
1. Heat a little ghee and fry the cashew nuts until golden brown. Remove from pan.
2. Soak saffron in 1/4 cup of warm milk and keep it aside.
3. Heat 1/2 cup of water, add jaggery, and stir on low heat for a few minutes until it dissolves. Remove from heat, strain it to remove impurities and keep it aside.
4. Heat 2 tsp of ghee and fry the rice and dal.
5. In a heavy-bottomed vessel, add 2 1/2 cups of boiled milk and 3/4 cup of
water add the rice + dal mix and cook on medium heat. Mash it well with a masher when it is hot.
6. Then add the mashed rice + dal mixture to the jaggery water and mix well.
7. Add the remaining milk, remaining ghee, mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously on medium-low heat.
8. Add the saffron milk, cardamom powder, cashew nuts and cook for few more minutes on medium-low heat stirring continuously.

Shared by Chef Vijay Kumar, Chef de Cuisine, Dakshin, Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park.