Cheruku Rasam Pongali Recipe
Cherukku Rasam Pongali is a decadent delicacy from the Andhra Cuisine that comes with the sweetness of Sugarcane and and the aroma of cow's ghee... Enter into the foodie heaven and have a feast served in plantain leaf...
An Outlook On Cheruku Rasam Pongali Recipe
Cheruku Rasam Pongali is a delightful authentic sweet dish from the Andhra Cuisine made of raw rice, lentil and ghee mixed up with sugarcane juice which is the key ingredient of this dainty delicacy. It is the festive dish which is prepared and offered to Sun God on the occasion of Makara Sankranthi popularly called as harvest festival. The entire state celebrates this festival in a grand manner for three days consecutively during mid January. And this pongal is made along with the Chakkera Pongali and other flavorful dishes prepared for the special day and distributed to farmers and workers.
Cheruku Rasam Pongali is an unique sweet dish as it is one of the exclusive delicacies made with sugarcane and it is one of the revered recipes that has traveled a long way in the culinary journey of Indian gastronomic history. Since ancient times, this delicious dish has been relished along with chakkera pongali as sugarcane is one of the indispensable ingredient for the pongal festival. It has an exclusive taste of sugarcane and has the required amount of sweetness which we could relish even if taken in larger quantity. As it is the healthier version of Sweet Pongal you can even give it for diabetics and aged people. If you want a slight deviation from the regular sweet pongal, this is a wonderful recipe to try out on a week end or holidays.
As it has only mild sweetness, you can add a little rock sugar to enhance the flavor of the dish or you can even add sugar or jaggery according to your choice and preference. Sugarcane is leaded with a lot of nutrients and has a lot of antioxidants and fights infections. It helps in dehydration as it has electrolytes like calcium, magnesium and pottassium. Moreover, it is an instant energy booster and a simple stress reliever. It fights cavities, bad breath and a best cure for jaundice too. Much interestingly, it cures acne and blemishes in the skin and keeps it young and supple. Our ancestors have been brilliant and thoughtful enough in incorporating such a perennial grass in the day today foods and have passed on the special recipes to generations and certainly this dish falls under that category.
Edible Camphor is yet another key ingredient that spruces up this dish and it has a lot of medicinal properties too. It has appetizing and digestive properties and cures and cough and cures inflammation and improves blood circulation in the body. It stimulates hormones and reduces pain from spasms and it improves digestive secretions and has deepan and pachan ( appitizing and digesting) properties. Moreover, it removes excessive fat from the body but it should be added only in a negligible quantity in any dish.
Cherukku Rasam Pongali can be prepared authentically in a mud or bronze pot or a brass vessel. It tastes awesome the next day as it remains in the pot overnight and the essence of all the ingredients gets seeped into the dish and becomes all the more delectable.
ingredients required to make Cheruku Rasam Pongali Recipe
How To Make Cheruku Rasam Pongali Recipe
Place a medium sized earthen pot in the stove and turn on the flame and let the flame be in medium mode.
Take three cups of water and pour it in the pot and let it get heated up.
Meanwhile, take half a cup of split moong dal and wash it well and soak for five minutes. Similarly take a cup of raw rice and soak it well in water after washing it well.
When the water in the pot starts boiling, just add the soaked split moong dal and stir well.
Keep stirring continuously using a wooden ladle for ten minutes approximately.
When the moong dal gets cooked up, just take out a little and crush it with your fingers. If it gets mashed then you can conclude that it has been cooked well.
In case, if it is still harder, let it boil for a few more minutes.
Now add the soaked raw rice and keep stirring gently and lower the flame for some time.
Let it boil for ten to fifteen minutes approximately and similarly take a grain and mash up to check its consistency and let it cook until the rice become absolutely mushy. Sprinkle a few strands of saffron to add the richness, flavor and color of the Cherukku Rasam Pongali.
Meanwhile drop three cups of chopped sugarcane in a blender and add a cup of water and blend well.
Take out the juice and filter it and keep aside.
When the moong dal and rice are being completely cooked, add the sugarcane juice mix well.
Keep stirring throughout the process and drop in two or three pieces of kalkandu at this stage to enhance the sweetness of the karumbu chaaru pongal. Just add half a teaspoon of cardamom powder along with a pinch of edible camphor.
Now the pongal will turn ultimately aromatic and when it reaches the desired consistency, just turn off the flame.
Just place a small pan in the stove and pour in four tablespoons of ghee and when it is heated, tip in the measured quantity of cashew nuts and when it turns golden brown, toss over some golden raisins into the pan with a nice stir.
When it pops up, just transfer these sauteed ingredients into the Cherukku Rasam Pongali and turn off the flame.
Now the scintilating Karumbu Pongal is ready to eat. Serve it hot in a plantain leaf with a dash of ghee.
Some Useful Tips To Follow:
- Use fresh raw rice which is sold exclusive to make pongal as it gives the desired mushy consistency.
- Other than bronze pot, brass pot or earthen pot you can also make the cherukku Rasam pongali in pressure cooker in case if you do not know how to make the pongali in pots.
- If you add sugar the color will be lighter and if you add jaggery its color will be as that of regular chakkara pongal.
- And if you add only sugarcane juice, rock sugar and saffron strands you get a similar color to that of the chakkara pongali.
- In case if you prepare it in large quantity let it remain in the same vessel in which you prepared it and reheat before serving only if you wish as it generally tastes awesome without reheating.
- Serving it in plantain leaf gives an authentic taste and extra flavor to the dish and it gives a festive feel even if you are away from your native place.
Ingredients
Directions
Place a medium sized earthen pot in the stove and turn on the flame and let the flame be in medium mode.
Take three cups of water and pour it in the pot and let it get heated up.
Meanwhile, take half a cup of split moong dal and wash it well and soak for five minutes. Similarly take a cup of raw rice and soak it well in water after washing it well.
When the water in the pot starts boiling, just add the soaked split moong dal and stir well.
Keep stirring continuously using a wooden ladle for ten minutes approximately.
When the moong dal gets cooked up, just take out a little and crush it with your fingers. If it gets mashed then you can conclude that it has been cooked well.
In case, if it is still harder, let it boil for a few more minutes.
Now add the soaked raw rice and keep stirring gently and lower the flame for some time.
Let it boil for ten to fifteen minutes approximately and similarly take a grain and mash up to check its consistency and let it cook until the rice become absolutely mushy. Sprinkle a few strands of saffron to add the richness, flavor and color of the Cherukku Rasam Pongali.
Meanwhile drop three cups of chopped sugarcane in a blender and add a cup of water and blend well.
Take out the juice and filter it and keep aside.
When the moong dal and rice are being completely cooked, add the sugarcane juice mix well.
Keep stirring throughout the process and drop in two or three pieces of kalkandu at this stage to enhance the sweetness of the karumbu chaaru pongal. Just add half a teaspoon of cardamom powder along with a pinch of edible camphor.
Now the pongal will turn ultimately aromatic and when it reaches the desired consistency, just turn off the flame.
Just place a small pan in the stove and pour in four tablespoons of ghee and when it is heated, tip in the measured quantity of cashew nuts and when it turns golden brown, toss over some golden raisins into the pan with a nice stir.
When it pops up, just transfer these sauteed ingredients into the Cherukku Rasam Pongali and turn off the flame.
Now the scintilating Karumbu Pongal is ready to eat. Serve it hot in a plantain leaf with a dash of ghee.
It iѕ actually a niⅽe and useful piece of info.
I’m hɑppy that you shared this heⅼpful information with uѕ.
Please keep us ᥙp to date like this. Thank you for sharing.