I went to Srirangam temple last month.
It was early morning… the kind where the air feels cool and the streets are still quiet.
After darshan, the priest gave me a small steel cup. Warm, pale golden, with a little ghee floating on top.
My friend said, “Don’t waste even a drop.”
I took a spoonful… and wow. Sweet, soft, a bit nutty from the dal. The smell of milk and ghee together… I knew I had to try making it at home.
What I used (serves 4):
½ cup raw rice
2 tbsp moong dal
4–5 cups milk
1–1½ cups jaggery (I like it less sweet)
½ cup ghee
10–12 cashews
10 raisins
½ tsp cardamom powder
A pinch of edible camphor (optional)
How I did it
First, I roasted the moong dal lightly. Just until it smelled nice.
Washed it with the rice. Kept it aside.
Boiled 3 cups milk in a heavy pan. Added rice and dal.
Let it cook slow… kept adding milk until it turned soft.
In another pan, melted jaggery with a bit of water. Strained it.
Mixed the syrup into the rice-milk. Smelled so much like the temple.
Fried cashews and raisins in ghee. Added them, along with cardamom and a tiny bit of edible camphor.
Little notes from my kitchen
Full milk tastes better than thin milk.
Keep stirring when you add jaggery so it won’t split.
If it’s for pooja, don’t taste until you offer.
I served it warm, with a spoon of ghee on top.
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