Kalkandu pongal or Kalkandu sadam is an iconic dish usually prepared on the third day of the pongal festival or pongal pandigai in Tamil Nadu. This dish is thus a part of the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti. In the region, this meal is sweetened with kalkandu, a type of rock or sugar candy. The dish is known as kalkandu pongal due to its etymology. Sugar and sugar candy can be used in proportions that are equal to one another. Any person's preference for sweetness can be accommodated by adjusting the sugar content. Each festival or other momentous occasion is a good excuse to whip up a batch of delicious kalkandu sadam. It is one of the dishes that require the least amount of preparation.
The natives favour using raw rice, most frequently ponni or sona masoori (short grain variety). Nevertheless, millet or any other type of grain could be used in its place of rice. It is recommended to use whole milk because it provides a smoother finish. The sugar candy should preferably be ground into a form similar to a coarse powder to hasten the melting process.
Kalkandu Pongal
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw rice
- 1 tablespoon moong dal
- ¼ cup milk
- ¾ cup sugar + sugar candy kalkandu (in equal ratio)
- ¼ cup ghee or clarified butter
- 5 cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 edible camphor a pinch
- 5 saffron strands (optional)
- Salt a pinch
Delicious kalkandu pongal, Image Source: reha_madhu@instagram
Method
- Grind the kalkandu and sugar to a powder form and keep aside. This step is entirely up to the user's discretion.
- Cook the paasi paruppu in a pressure cooker with a sprinkle of ghee till a pleasant aroma is released.
- Rice should be washed before being added to the pot, and the water-to-rice ratio should be 1:4.
- Cook the rice for 4 whistles in a pressure cooker, then mash it with milk.
- Return the cooker to the stove and place it over medium heat. Add the powdered kalkandu and the sugar.
- If you're going to use it, now add saffron and edible camphor. Soak saffron in milk before adding.
- Maintain constant stirring, adding ghee at intervals, for five to eight minutes in medium-low heat.
- Put in the cardamom powder towards the end. Lightly fry the cashews and raisins in ghee before being folded into the pongal.