Nei Appam | Ghee Appam

• 1 cup Raw Rice
• ¾ cup Jaggery
• 2 tablespoon Grated Coconut
• 10 nos Cashews
• 2 nos Cardamom
• 2 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• ¾ cup Water
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 pinch Salt a pinch

Prepare the Rice Flour

• Wash the raw rice 2–3 times to remove excess starch. Soak for 30 minutes.
  1 cup Raw Rice
• Drain completely using a strainer.
• Heat a pan, add ¼ of the rice, and roast over medium flame. Stir continuously until it sputters and turns slightly golden. Remove and set aside.
• Repeat with the remaining rice in 3 more batches to ensure even roasting. In the same way complete the rest of the rice also in two batches. The reason why we are doing in batches is to make sure that the rice is being fried uniformly without getting over burn.
• Allow to cool, then grind with cardamom to a fine powder.

Steam Cook the Rice Flour

• Heat ¾ cup of water with turmeric and salt until warm.
  ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder, 1 pinch Salt, ¾ cup Water
• Place the rice flour in a bowl and sprinkle warm water little by little, mixing well. The consistency should be “Pidicha Pidikamudiyanum, vita udhiranum”—firm when pressed, crumbly when released.
• Grease idli plates with oil. Place a fistful of moistened rice flour in each mold and steam for approximately 12 minutes.
• Once the rice flour is steam-cooked, remove it and allow it to cool slightly. Place a rawa sieve over a bowl and add the steamed rice flour dumplings. Using your hands, gently spread and press the flour through the sieve, breaking it down into fine, crumbly pieces. The cooked rice flour should have a soft, beach-sand-like texture.

Prepare the Jaggery Syrup

• Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan. Fry cashews until golden and set aside.
  2 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• In the same pan, roast grated coconut until golden. Set aside.
  2 tablespoon Grated Coconut
• In the same pan, add the grated jaggery with 1 tablespoon of water and bring it to a boil. Once the jaggery has completely dissolved, strain it to remove any impurities or sand.
  ¾ cup Jaggery
• Return the strained syrup to the pan, add cardamom powder and continue boiling until it thickens and reaches a stone consistency. To test, drop 2–3 drops of the syrup into a cup of water—if it doesn’t dissolve and can be rolled into a soft ball between your fingers, the syrup is ready.
  2 nos Cardamom

Combine Everything

• Add the steamed rice flour to the jaggery syrup and mix well.
• Stir in ghee, fried coconut, and cashews.
  10 nos Cashews
• Serve warm as Sweet Rice Jaggery Puttu (Arisi Vella Puttu)—a perfect Navratri neivedhyam or festive sweet.

Tips for Perfect Sweet Rice Jaggery Puttu

1. Roast Rice in Batches: Always roast the soaked rice in small portions to ensure even cooking and avoid burning.
2. Check Rice Flour Texture: After steaming, sieve the rice flour carefully. The final texture should resemble soft, crumbly beach sand for the authentic puttu feel.
3. Add Water Gradually: When mixing water into the rice flour, add it slowly to reach the perfect consistency—firm enough to hold in a fist but crumbly when released.
4. Test Jaggery Syrup: Achieving the right “stone consistency” in jaggery syrup is key. Test by dropping a little in water; it should form a soft ball without dissolving.
5. Use Fresh Coconut: Freshly grated coconut gives the best flavor and aroma. Lightly roasting it adds a subtle nutty taste.
6. Don’t Oversteam: Overcooked rice flour will become mushy and lose the signature crumbly texture. Steam just until cooked through.
7. Serve Immediately: Puttu tastes best fresh and warm. If storing, reheat by steaming briefly to restore softness.
8. Customize Nuts and Flavor: Add cashews, almonds, or raisins for extra crunch, and cardamom or a pinch of saffron for aroma.

• 1 cup Raw Rice 1 cup = 250 ml
• ¼ cup Moong dal
• 2½ cups Grated Jaggery
• ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
• 1 tablespoon Cashews
• 1 pinch Pachai Karpooram Optional
• 1 tablespoon Raisins Optional
• 3 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 2 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter) for tempering
• 4½ cups Water
• ½ cup Milk (optional)

Roasting and Cooking the Dal + Rice

• Heat a pan and dry roast ¼ cup of moong dal until it turns golden and releases a fragrant aroma. Set aside.
  ¼ cup Moong dal
  
• In a strainer, take 1 cup of rice and the roasted moong dal. Rinse 2–3 times until the water runs clear.
  1 cup Raw Rice
  
• Add 4.5 cups of water and mix well.
  4½ cups Water
  
• Pressure cook the rice and dal mixture for 5–6 whistles until soft and mashable. Traditionally, in temples and at weddings, this mixture is slow-cooked on the stove to impart a smoky aroma, but for home cooking, a pressure cooker works perfectly. Once cooked, mash the rice and dal thoroughly and set aside.
  

Preparing the Jaggery Syrup

• In a saucepan, combine 2.5 cups of grated jaggery with ¼ cup of water. Heat gently until the jaggery melts completely and dissolves. Set aside.
  2½ cups Grated Jaggery
  
• Heat 3 teaspoon of ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Strain the melted jaggery and add it to the pan.
  3 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
  
• When the jaggery syrup comes to a rolling boil, add the mashed rice and dal mixture.
  
• Keep the flame very low and stir in ½ cup of milk (optional). Milk adds richness, but if used, the shelf life of the dish is limited to 1 day. Never add milk directly to the jaggery syrup, as it may curdle — always add it after the rice-dal mixture. Also add the Pacha Karpooram and mix well.
  ½ cup Milk, 1 pinch Pachai Karpooram
  

Finishing Pongal

• Stir the mixture well to incorporate the rice and dal with the jaggery syrup. Add the remaining ghee and ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder, and continue stirring on low flame until the pongal thickens slightly.
  ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
  
• In a separate pan, heat 2 teaspoon of ghee and roast cashews and raisins until golden brown. Add them to the pongal and give a final gentle stir.
  1 tablespoon Cashews, 1 tablespoon Raisins, 2 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
  
• The scrumptious Sakarai Pongal is ready for neivedhyam or to serve!
  

???? Tips for Perfect Sakkarai Pongal

• Jaggery Ratio: Use a rice + dal to jaggery ratio of 1.25:2.5. For 1 cup rice and ¼ cup moong dal, add 2.5 cups grated jaggery. This ensures the sweetness is balanced — not too bland, not too overpowering.
• Jaggery Quality Matters: The color and aroma of your pongal depends on the type of jaggery. Paagu vellamgives a darker, richer brown consistency than regular jaggery.
• Cooking Rice & Dal: Add an extra ½ cup of water and allow additional whistles in the pressure cooker to ensure the rice and dal are completely soft and mushy.
• Milk is Optional: Adding milk while cooking makes the pongal creamier and richer in flavor, but it’s not necessary.
• Strain Jaggery Syrup: Jaggery can contain impurities like sand. Always dissolve and strain the jaggery syrupbefore adding it to the rice-dal mixture.
• Ghee in Syrup: Adding a bit of ghee to the jaggery syrup is optional, but it enhances the richness and aroma of the pongal.
• Consistency Tips: Milk can be used to adjust consistency. Once milk is added, keep the flame low to avoid curdling or breaking the pudding.