Navarathri Neivedhyam Day 6 – Sweet Green Gram Sundal & Pidi Kozhakattai.

Sweet Sundal.

I remember when we were little kids, amma always used to make at least two days of Sweet Sundal during the Navarathri festival for all our sweet cravings!!! What a great idea, to incorporate the best of two worlds – legumes and jaggery!!! My sister D loves this version and in fact would pester her to make it as an evening snack or whenever she feels like eating anything sweet!!! Since we use brown sugar/jaggery, which is  a rich source of iron , it is definitely more wholesome sugar and, unlike refined sugar, it retains more mineral salts.

Green Gram Dal on the other hand is one of the most wholesome among all the pulses and it forms very nutritious diet.Try this version  and you`ll find that the kids instantly love them. It`s actually a great evening snack full of protien and nutrients, made with jaggery, so the benefits are multiplied.

Today`s Neivedhaym for Navarathri was

• Sweet Green Gram Dhal.
• Pidi Kozhakattis.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Green Gram Dal.

3/4 cup grated Jaggery or soft brown sugar.

Water to cook.

1 tsp of Cardamom Powder.

1 spoon of ghee.

PREPARATION:

• Take the cup of  green gram dal and roast it dry in the kadai for a few minutes. You will slowly get the aroma of the roasted green gram dal. This should suffice. Its not required to soak the green gram dhal. We do this so the green gram dhal cooks easily.
• Always roast on a medium flame. Set aside.
• When the dhal cools considerably, put in a vessel and pour water to cover the beans. Do not add salt.
• Allow the steam to come on full throttle and put whistle. When the first whistle comes, reduce the flame to LOW and keep for ten minutes.
• Switch off after ten minutes, and set aside.
• In a kadai, add  spoon of ghee, and the cooked green gram dhal.
• Now add the 3/4 cup of jaggery and mix well. The jaggery will melt and coat the cooked green gram dhal.
• Immediately switch off the stove and add the crushed cardamom.
• Stir in immediately and mix well.
• Offer Neivedhyam to Devi and enjoy sweet sundal.

HINT:

IT IS NOT REQUIRED TO SOAK THE GREEN GRAM DHAL. THIS CAN BE WHIPPED UP IN A JIFFY. THIS IS WHY WE LIGHTLY ROAST IT SO IT COOKS WELL WITHOUT GETTING TOO MUSHY.

This variation can also be tried with Black Kidney Beans, white beans etc.

Kids also love this as an evening snack.

Packing off this delicious Sundal to My Legume Love Affair – Serving 15 hosted by Sia of Monsoon Spice, brainchild of Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.