Sweet pongal turns up at every auspicious moment in a Tamil year, and Chaturthi is one of them. Rice and roasted moong dal cooked until they collapse completely, jaggery stirred through, and then a great deal of ghee.
The ghee is where people go wrong. It goes in one spoonful at a time, and each one should disappear into the pongal before the next follows. Tipped in all at once it sits on top and never marries, and you lose the shine that tells you it has been made properly.
It sets firm as it cools, which is normal. A splash of hot milk brings it back.
Everything you need for this recipe is on the shelf at One Place Bazaar, delivered to all 32 counties. See the rest of our Ganesh Chaturthi recipes.
