Paal Payasam...my Sankranti sweet and a Reminder

I made Paal payasam and Khara pongal for this sankranti but I could not post them immediately on the festival day.We make different kinds of pongal like sweet pongal,khara pongal,paal pongal paired mixed veg and pulses sambar for sankranti to celebrate the new harvest of the year.

The only sweet which I can never think of eating is sweet pongal which is made up of jaggery,somehow because of the color or watever I hate this sweet and never developed a taste for it from childhood.During my childhood,I used to add milk and sugar to the regular pongal in a small cup and mix well and I used to eat it as sweet pongal and that was my version of sweet pongal in my childhood(do not forget to remove the pepper corns from it if you are going to try my version anytime).Sankranti is incomplete with out making sweet pongal,so I make paal payasam as an alternative to sweet pongal and even if I prepare sweet pongal I use sugar instead of jaggery to make it.

I think you all can guess now what could be my next post,yes you are correct!!! ie.,Khara Pongal.

Ingredients:
1 cup new raw rice(any variety like sona masuri,kolam etc)
7 cups full cream milk(regular one is also fine)
3/4 cups sugar,approx
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
10-12 cashew nuts,broken
7-8 saffron strands
18-20 raisins
2 tbsp ghee

Method:

• Clean and wash the rice and soak it for 10mins.
• Bring milk to a boil in a big pot on medium flame and add saffron strands and rice when milk is bubbling and stir immediately and keep in low flame.
• Keep stirring occasionally until the rice is cooked completely in milk.
• After the rice is completely cooked the milk would have reduced in its quantity too,add the sugar and let it dissolves completely.
• Mean while heat ghee in a pan and add broken cashew nuts and raisins until they turn their color and keep it aside.
• After the sugar melts add the fried dry fruits along with the ghee and cardamom powder and mix well and cook it for another 2 mins.

Serve it either hot or cold or at room temperature,it tastes best anyways.


A Reminder:
I am eagerly waiting for all your lovely entries for my first event ' Only' Salads.So friends,please send your entries in order to make my event successful.