Chakkara Pongal

Chakkara Pongal is my aunt's special dish. This is her recipe:

Rice - 1 cup

Moong daal - 1/4 cup

Water - 4 cups

Grated Jaggery - 2 cups

Cardamom powder - a pinch

Ghee - 1/2 cup

Raisins and Cashews - 2 tbsps each to garnish

In a pressure cooker, add the daal, rice and water. Cook for 3 to 4 whistles and turn off.

In an other pan, add the grated jaggery and 1/2 cup water. Let this mixture melt and come to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes. When a drop of this is added to some water, it should remain in place and not spread in the water.

Open the cooker, and mash the rice and daal. Pour the jaggery mixture into the rice and daal.

If it is too runny, place on stove top and cook till it thickens. If if is too thick, add some milk and coook some more.

In a pan, heat the ghee and fry the cashews and raisins, till the raisins plump up and the cashews are golden brown. Add this to the pongal, and add the cardamom powder.

Mix well, and serve hot.

Stuffed Buns

Pizza/Bread dough - Refer to my pizza recipe
Potato Peas masala - Refer to my Aloo Matar recipe
Egg - 1/ Milk - 4 tbsp

Optional toppings (Just to make them look pretty :))
Jalapeno - 1
Shredded cheese - 1/2 cup
Black pepper/Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp

Mix the pizza dough according to the recipe. Else, use fresh store bought bread or pizza dough. Here in the US, we can buy fresh whole wheat pizza dough, at most grocery stores and super markets. This makes baking pizzas and other such dishes, really easy to make.
Prepare the potato fry, or any other stuffing of your choice. I made the potato fry from my previous post, just made it nutritious, by adding a bunch of chopped spinach along with the onions.
Take a golf ball size of the dough. Spread it with your hands and place some of the stuffing in the center. Close the edges, and form into a ball again. This process is similar to how we make parathas, before rolling them out.
Place the stuffed dough balls on a baking sheet. Whisk an egg, and brush it on the dough. Else, use milk. (This helps the buns turn a lovely golden brown)
Top with thinly sliced Jalapeno, a sprinkle of cheese and pepper.
Bake in a pre-heated 425F oven for about 12 to 15 min, until they are golden brown on top.

Serve hot with ketchup, hot sauce or any chutney of your choice.