Chakrai Pongal

Name: Rukmini Iyer Chakrai Pongal Recipe | Indian Rice Pudding Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 2–4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp split moong dal; 100g American long-grain or basmati rice, rinsed; 400ml water; 125g jaggery or soft dark brown sugar; 3 tsp butter; 30g cashew nuts, halved; 40g raisins; 8 cardamom pods, seeds only

by Rukmini Iyer from India Express: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Day

A traditional South Indian rice pudding dish flavoured with jaggery or palm sugar, plenty of butter, and a crunch of cashews.

Gluten-Free

Serves 2–4

Total 40 min

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min

Easy

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Introduction from Rukmini Iyer

This is one of my dad’s favourite puddings, which is traditionally made for the South Indian harvest festival of Pongal when the new-season jaggery (palm sugar) is harvested. When he showed me how to make it, I thoroughly approved of his liberal chef-like use of butter at pretty much every stage (along with the very chef-like trait of tidying away as he went along). We checked the recipe on the phone with my grandmother’s sister, my great-aunt Leela Chithi in Trivandrum – she recommends 250g sugar in this recipe, but we decided to halve it – feel free to increase it as you wish!

Ingredients

1 tbsp split moong dal

100g American long-grain or basmati rice, rinsed

400ml water

125g jaggery or soft dark brown sugar

3 tsp butter

30g cashew nuts, halved

40g raisins

Storecupboard:

8 cardamom pods, seeds only

Essential kit

You will need: a pestle and mortar and a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.

Method

Tip the moong dal into a small frying pan, and toast over a low heat for about 4 minutes until aromatic. Meanwhile, grind your cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar.

Put the rice, half the ground cardamom, 300ml of the water and the toasted moong dal into a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and bring to the boil. Cover, then lower the heat and cook for 18 minutes until the rice is cooked through and slightly sticky (you’re not going for al dente with this one).

Meanwhile, tip the jaggery or sugar, remaining ground cardamom and 100ml water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until the jaggery or sugar has melted and the syrup has slightly thickened. Tip the cooked rice and dal mixture into the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a teaspoon of butter.

In the frying pan you used to toast the dal, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter. Add the cashew nuts and fry for 3–4 minutes over a medium to low heat until golden brown, then add the raisins and fry for a further minute until they’ve plumped up. Stir the buttery cashew nuts and raisins through the rice, reserving a few to scatter over if you wish. Serve warm.

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