Sweet Pongal with Rose Chikki

Ingredients list for Sweet Pongal with Rose Chikki

• ½- ¾ cup Split skinless green gram
• 1 cup Rice soaked
• 1/4 cup Rose petals fresh
• 1/2 cup Jaggery (gur) chopped
• 3 cups Milk
• 1/4 cup Ghee
• a pinch saffron strands
• 1/2 teaspoon Green cardamom powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg powder
• 1/4 cup Cashewnuts
• 1/4 cup Raisins
• 1/2 cup Castor sugar (caster sugar)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Rose syrup

Method

1. Dry-roast split green grams in a deep-non-stick pan till light brown. Add soaked rice and mix. Add milk, mix and cook for 15-20 minutes.
2. To make jaggery syrup, heat jaggery in another non-stick pan. Add some water and cook till jaggery melts. Add the syrup to green gram-rice mixture, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Heat ghee in another non-stick pan.
4. Add saffron, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to green gram-rice mixture, mix and cook till reduced.
5. Add cashewnuts and raisins to hot ghee and fry till golden. Add it to green gram-rice mixture alongwith ghee and mix well. This is pongal.
6. To prepare rose chikki, heat castor sugar in another non-stick pan and cook till it caramelizes. Add rose petals and rose syrup and swirl to mix.
7. Place a silicon mat on the worktop, pour and spread the caramelized sugar-rose mixture and cool till it semi sets.
8. Cut the spread caramelized sugar-rose mixture into roundels using a medium size cookie cutter and let it fully set.
9. Fill 2 ceramic bowls with some pongal.
10. Remove the chikki roundels and discard the excess. Place each rose chikki disc on top of pongal, covering it and serve immediately.