Happy Pongal !

Here’s wishing all of you a Very Happy Sankranti !
Sankranti is a harvest festival , so it is all about celebrating the one element that sustains life – Food !
It starts with buying farm fresh produce at the local market – pumpkins, cow peas/ Avarekayi, sweet potato and the like. It is indeed quite amazing that the spirit of Sankranti has withstood the test of time. In fact, I feel the fervor to celebrate this festival has only increased – very heartening.
The trademark of Sankranti is the dish “Pongal”. Wholesome and tasty and also simple to make- it is a cook’s delight. There is no standard version of Pongal -I will share with you my version.
Talking about sharing of recipes, the recipes of the Royal kitchens of the kings were treated like big National secrets. Here’s something I heard about the Rajah of Raigad . This Rajah was a connoisseur of Food. He had a fetish for all forms of culinary art. He was once served a special delicacy by another monarch when he paid a friendly visit. He knew there was something about the ingredient mix- especially the spices, their proportions that made it taste really delicious. He was cognizant of the fact that the royal recipes were very well-guarded secrets so he designed a plot to procure the recipe. He invited the Monarch to his kingdom and also extended a warm invitation to the Royal Chef. So, one fine day they arrived. After taking care of them for a couple of days- the Rajah of Raigad requested the Monarch’s Royal chef to display his culinary talent and prepare his favourite dish. His idea was that his team can be assisting him while he makes it in their kitchen and learn the recipe. The Royal Chef agreed but on one condition- He will lock himself alone in the kitchen and make the dish.
The King was stumped! The frown on his resplendent face and the knit-brows could have sent a shiver down the spine of a commoner. But he quickly regained his cool and said “That is not a problem. We respect your need for privacy. We will ensure that all ingredients, pots and pans are present in the kitchen and then you can lock yourself and prepare the dish.”
The Royal court sighed in relief – the last thing they wanted is a battle over a Royal Recipe!
So, the next day the sun shone brightly and the kitchen was cleaned and stocked and made ready for the celebrity chef. The King was waiting impatiently for the day’s lunch. And the much anticipated moment arrived. The Royal Chef served the special delicacy with pride. The King ate to his heart’s content and exclaimed in joy “This is just divine! I have never eaten anything better in my life.” He hurriedly relieved his neck off a grand pearls and emeralds necklace and gifted it to the Royal Chef with gleaming eyes. The Royal Chef was mighty pleased both with the encouraging comment on his talent and of course the necklace. The visiting Royal party departed happily to run their kingdom and kitchen. The courtiers watched the Rajah of Raigad sport a wicked smile on his face. He called his chief minister and whispered in his ears – “I have the Recipe!”
The chief minister was really surprised. The King had recorded the measures of all the ingredients in the kitchen and had measured them all again after the chef finished cooking!
When I heard this story , I said to myself “ I hope the King showed this ingenuity in governing his kingdom as well!”

Okay, here’s the Pongal recipe :
Ingredients
¾ cup rice
¾ cup moong dal
1 cup grated jaggery
2 tbspoons ghee
1 tbspoon of grated copra(dried coconut)
1 tbspoon of grated fresh coconut
Few strands of saffron soaked in 1 tbspoon of water
Couple of cloves
Cashews and raisins
Spice Powder-Cardamom seeds (from 4-5 pods) + 1 tsp sugar + a pinch of edible camphor
(Edible camphor is the one used in temples in the holy water- theertha)

Procedure
1>Pressure cook washed rice and dal along with 2 cloves and grated coconut (fresh and dried).
2>Once it cools down, take another pot with a thick bottom (I use an old bronze pot)
3>And add jaggery to it. Cover the jaggery with little water and allow it to melt fully.
4>Once it starts resembling honey, add the cooked rice and dal and Saffron.
5>Keep stirring continuously till the sweetness of jaggery is incorporated into the rice and dal evenly.
6>Meanwhile heat the ghee and add cashew and raisins and turn them golden brown. 7>Toss them along with the ghee into the cooking Pongal.
8>In the end, just before turning off the stove add the ground spice mixture.
This is quite a wholesome sweet dish as it contains rice and dal and nuts.