SWEET PONGAL

Sweet Pongal or Traditional Chakkara Pongali, is prepared during auspicious occasions and festivals. This is one of the Naivedhyam dishes offered to the gods or goddess during Pooja. Sweet Pongal is a delicacy made from newly harvested Rice. It is cooked with Jaggery, Ghee and Cashew nuts. Pongal is generally known as a festival dish, but it is also nutritious for kids!

The main part of the Pongal festival on the Surya Pongal day is preparing the Pongal dish. A sweet form of Pongal known as "Sakkarai pongal is produced with rice combined with moong dal and cooked with ghee, raisins and cashewnuts including jaggery. Traditionally, pongal is cooked in clay pots, on stoves constructed with stones and wood utilized as fuel. Once it heats up and begins to boil over, all people shouts out "pongalo pongal". This indicates plenty and success for the year onward. The dish is first offered to Sun and after that given to people.

Sweets taste acts quickly on the taste buds. Eating the sweet item first enables the flow of digestive secretions. Traditional sweets are best to take before the meal. Ayurveda also claims that the body cannot do without sweet altogether. It's imperative tissue development. When consumed in moderation, sweets are medicinal, even.

Rice is among the most in-demand foods consumed by most us. It's also an essential staple food that's extensively eaten in Asia. Rice is a healthy food as well as an essential nutritious diet which contains a lot more than 15 minerals and vitamins which help to protect us against diseases and make certain nutritious growth. It is used in the production of beverages such as rice wine, rice milk and many more. There are many great varieties of rice, including basmati, jasmine and brown rice.

Jaggery is a natural traditional sweetener made by concentrating the extracted sugarcane juice. It is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.  It is consumed in almost all sections of the society as a sweetener, and as a source of energy. In Ayurvedic, it is used as medicine, as blood purifier and base material for syrups.

Ghee is a type of clarified butter. It’s made by cooking out the milk solids, impurities and water from unsalted butter, resulting in a lactose-free butterfat that is chock full of nutrients. Ghee has been used in religious rituals as well as in cooking and cleansing.

Cooking Tips:

• Before you add Jaggery to the rice, make sure it is cooked thoroughly soft. Rice tends harden if the rice is not mashed or the Pongal is overcooked.
• If you’re worried about feeding your baby Jaggery, Elaichi can be used. Elaichi adds a nice flavor, it has nutritional benefit as well. So, don’t skip it.

Healthy Tips:

• Rice contains no Gluten, which makes it one of the best non-allergic foods.
• Rice is rich in Carbohydrates that give our bodies the energy we need.
• Jaggery is rich in many vital Vitamins and Minerals, allowing it to provide nourishment to every part of the body, including the skin.
• Jaggery helps in the maintenance of proper functioning of the digestive system.
• Jaggery is surprisingly effective as an aid for weight loss.

Give your kids a healthy dessert, Sweet Pongal. It is also nutritious food for young kids. Enjoy delicious Traditional Chakkara Pongali!!