Akkaravadisal/Akkaraadisal - Trichy - Srirangam Special

We are entering April month and its going to be food and fun filled month for our Blogging Marathoners.
Some of my readers know that I participate in a monthly event blogging marathon,3 days for 4 weeks.Since April 2013 we are doing a mega marathon for the month of April and September with interesting themes.
We are running in a mega marathon,Journey through the cuisine A- Z series of 26 dishes with Sundays off.We are going to share 26 dishes from a specific country/ region or combo of Indian states.
After so much research,discussions and experiments I landed in Tamil Cuisine.I will be sharing the recipes popular in most of the districts and places in Tamilnadu.
Coming to today's recipe it a quite popular Prashadam/neivedhyam offered in Srirangam Renganathar temple.
Akkaravadisal is more like sakkarai pongal,the only difference is the rice is cooked in milk.The texture will be more creamy and mushy,flavored with saffron.In temples this prashadam is made in a traditional bronze pot and wooden fire stove.
Some of the local and hotels neary by Srirangama area has akkaravadisal in their menus.Even the wedding caterers also have it in their menus.They use some artificial colors to get an appealing look also they grind half of the cooked rice to get a mushy consistency since large quantities are made.Also different methods are followed with sugar only or sugar jaggery combo.
As my family doesn't like so much of mushy consistency I didn't mash it so much.I made it with jaggery alone.To reduce the cooking time I used the pressure cooker to cook the rice and dhal.It can be made in open pot method also.Off to the recipe.......

                                                                      

                                                            
                                               Akkaravadisal/Akkaraadisal

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time ~ 10 minutes
   Soaking time ~ 10 minutes

   Cooking time ~ 35-40 minutes

   Serves ~ 4-5 (generously)

   

  Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Raw rice/pacharisi	1/2 cup
Moong dhal/paasi paruppu	4 tbs
Jaggery/vellam	1 cup+2 tbs
Ghee/nei	6 tbs
Milk	2 cups
Water	1 cup
Cashews/mundiri	3 tbs(broken)
Cardamom powder/ellakai podi	1/4 tsp
Edible camphor/pachakarporam	small rice grain size
Saffron/kungumapoo	a generous picnh

   

  

  Method 

• Soak the rice and dhal  in water for 10 minutes and drain the water completely and keep it aside.Heat a pressure cooker with a tsp of ghee and fry the soaked rice and dhal for couple of minutes without changing the color.Add around 1.5 cups of milk and water to it.

• Add a small plate or fork to the pressure cooker to avoid the overflowing of milk.Cook it for 4-5 whistles in a medium flame.Once the pressure subsides,mash the cooked rice and add the rest of the milk.

• Meanwhile melt the jaggery with 1/4 cup of water and pass it through a strainer.Also soak the saffron threads in a few tsp of warm milk.Fry the cashews in a tsp of ghee.
• Add the melted jaggery to the mashed rice.Now add the ghee little by little and cook it in a medium flame for 5 minutes.

• Now add the soaked saffron and cardamom powder and mix it well.Finally add the fried cashews and edible camphor,mix it well. 

• Serve it hot.

• Raisins can also be added for extra rich taste.
• The amount of water depends on the quality of rice.
• If you want the consistency to be very mushy then blend half of the cooked rice in the blender.
• Tastes better when it hot.

Enjoy..................................

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