Huggi Annam

Ingredients

• - 2 cups rice
• - 400g pongal Karnataka style
• - 2 onions
• - Spices as required
• - 3 tbsp ghee or oil
• - Salt to taste

Method

1. Wash and cook rice: Wash 2 cups raw rice and half cup toor dal together. Pressure cook with 5 cups water and half tsp turmeric for 4 whistles until very soft and mushy.
2. Add jaggery: Add 2 tbsp grated jaggery to the hot cooked rice-dal mixture. Stir until dissolved.
3. Add coconut: Add half cup freshly grated coconut to the hot rice. Mix well.
4. Add cardamom: Add half tsp cardamom powder. Mix.
5. Make tempering: Heat 3 tbsp ghee. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds — when they pop add 1 tsp cumin seeds.
6. Add aromatics: Add 2 dried red chillies, 1 sprig curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.
7. Add cashews: Add 15 cashews to the tempering and fry until golden.
8. Pour tempering: Pour the sizzling ghee tempering over the huggi annam. Mix well.
9. Adjust consistency: Huggi annam should be soft and slightly thick. Add a little warm water if too dry.
10. Serve: Huggi annam is a traditional Karnataka Sankranti festival dish — sweet rice with jaggery and coconut. Serve warm.