Chackra Pongal or Chakara Pongal

Ingredients

» Long Grain Rice 1 cup
» Moong Dhal 1/8 cup
» Milk 1 cup
» Melted Butter (Ghee) 1/2 to 1 cup
» Powdered Jaggery (Gur) or Brown Sugar 1 3/4 cup
» Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp
» Raisins 10 no
» Cashew Nuts (whole) 6 to 8 no

Method
1. Cook rice and moong dal with milk and water until well done.
2. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee until golden brown and keep aside.
3. Take water and add gur (or brown sugar) and boil it until it dissolves and becomes thick.
4. Add cooked rice and dal to gur and keep stirring on low heat until well mixed.
5. Add remaining ghee in spoonfuls and continue stirring.
6. Add powdered cardamom and mix well.
7. Decorate with fried raisins and cashews.

Sakkarai Pongal

Ingredients
» 2 litres Milk
» 1 1/2 cups Newly harvested Rice
» 1/4 cup Moong Dal
» 15 no. Cashewnuts
» 10 no. Almonds
» 30 no. Kishmis
» 1/4 level teaspoon Nutrieg Powder
» 1 1/2 cup Jaggery (grated)
» 1/4 teaspoon Saffron (crushed)
» 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder

» 2 tablespoons ghee

Method
1. Chop almonds and cashewnuts.
2. Clean kishmis.
3. Pour milk in the earthen pot called 'Pongapani' and place it on fire.
4. When the milk starts boiling add rice and dal, after washing. As soon as the rice and dal are cooked to softness, add jaggery and ghee.
5. Let cook on medium fire for some time and then put in almond and cashewnut bits, saffron, nutrieg and cardamom powders.
6. Now, add the kishmis.
7. Bring to one or two good boils.

Ven Pongal / Venn Pongal

Ingredients
» Rice 1 Cup
» Moong Dal 1/4 Cup
» Black Pepper Powder to taste
» Zera Powder 1 Tbsp
» Ginger Paste 1 Tsp
» Dry Dinger (Sukku) 1 Tbsp
» Heeng 1 Tsp
» Cashew for garnishing
» Margaring/Ghee 2 Tbsp
» Water 6 Cups
» Salt to taste

Method
1. Wash rice and dal together and drain nicely.
2. In the Rice cooker heat 1 tbsp ghee.
3. Add rice and dal. Fry till the ghee coats the mixture.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, except Cashews.
5. Add water. Cover and cook.
6. Keep testing the water level and stir frequently as it has a tendency to stick to the bottom.
7. When rice gets fully mashed garnish with cashews.

Mixed Vegetable Pickle Recipe

Ingredients:
Cabbage
Carrot
Potato
Cauliflower
Green Peas
Squash
lime – 7
Red chilli powder
Salt
Mustard
Cumin seeds
Fenugreek
Method:
1.Steam cook the vegetables without adding water in pressure cooker
2.Leave the vegetables to cool and place it on a dry cloth such that it absorbs water
3.Then transfer them on to a vessel add salt, chilli powder and lemon juice
4.Take a pan pour oil and heat it, add mustard, cumin seeds and fry
5.Now add this to the vegetables mixed previously
6.Add fenugreek to it, mix well and the pickles is ready
Fenugreek in tamil is called venthayam
Mustard in tamil is called kaduku

Groundnut Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:
Roasted Groundnut – 1 cup
Red Chilli – 4 -5
Tamarind – a 2 inch piece
Garlic – 2
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – to garnish
Method:
1. Grind roasted groundnut, chilli, garlic and tamarind along with salt.
2. Heat oil in a tawa, add mustard and curry leaves and garnish over the grinded chutney.

Groundnut Chutney

Note: If you want, you can add coconut scrapings. Coconut has to be grinded along with the grinding ingredients.
This chutney can be served with idli and dosa.

Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 2
Onions – 3
Red chilli – 3
Green chilli – 3
Small piece of coconut
Mustard – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Oil – 2-3 tsp
Method:
1. Cut tomatoes and onion into small pieces.
2. Heat oil, add mustard seeds.
3. Add onion, and a pinch of turmeric. Also add green and red chillies and the chopped tomato. Fry until golden brown.
4. Lastly add coconut and salt.
5. Let the fried ingredients to cool.
6. Grind them to a fine paste.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Mixed Paruppu Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:
Toor Dhal – 1 tsp
Channa Dhal – 2 tsp
Onion – 1 no small
Red Chili – 2
Green chili – 1 (if required)
Coconut – 1/4 cup
Tamarind – a small piece
Fried gram or pottu kadalai – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Seasoning:
Oil – 1 tsp
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Method:
1. Take a tawa add 1/2 tsp oil and add all the ingredients and fry until golden brown.
2. Add coconut at the end before turning off the stove.
3. Leave it for few mins and grind to fine paste adding the fried gram. (Do not add pottu kadalai to the frying items)
4. Season it with the seasoning ingredients and serve with dosa or idli.
The taste was yummy. If needed you can also add urad dhal to the frying items and get it grinded.
Hope you try out and leave your comments.