Pongal is dish from Tamil Nadu, a state in the South of India. It is made in both sweet and savoury versions. Sweet Pongal is usually made by cooking rice, moong dal (split yellow gram) and jaggery in milk, and of course lots of ghee. And when we are looking at making a healthier version, the rice can be easily replaced with the superfood millets and we can go a little easy on the ghee too!
I had made this healthier version of pongal with sorghum or jowar flakes. They cook quickly and hence can be added to the cooked moong dal instead of pressure cooking with the dal.
This sweet jowar/sorghum pongal recipe was shared by Dr. Varuna Rao, who has a PhD in Food Science and Nutrition, and over 13 years of experience in the field – specializing in target group-based nutrition campaigns, content creation, new product development, consumer insight, menu planning, awareness workshops, wellness related expertise and helps individuals and corporates, embrace healthy regimes. You can reach out to her on her Instagram page –https://www.instagram.com/dr.varunarao.
Sorghum (Jowar) Pongal
Course: DessertCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes25
minutes30
minutesA sweet pongal recipe made healthier!
Ingredients
Moong Dal – ½ cup
Milk – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Sorghum flakes – ½ cup
Milk – 1 cup
Jaggery Powder – 1 cup
Cardamom Powder – ¼ tsp
Salt – a pinch
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Coconut slices – 2 tbsp
Cashews – 8-10
Directions
- Dry roast the moong dal in the pressure cooker.
- Add the milk and water and pressure cook the dal for a single pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
- To the cooked dal, add the sorghum flakes and milk and let it cook together till the flakes are soft.
- To this, add the jaggery and cardamom powder and salt and mix well.
- In a pan, heat the ghee and fry the coconut slices and cashews and add this to the cooked Pongal.
- Serve hot or cold as you prefer!
