The 'sweet' season - Goad Bhaat

Come the month of October and my sensible, calorie counting self bows down before my indulgent, guilt free one. Burfis, ladoos, halwas... how can a mere human (and a weak one at that!) summon up the will to resist? She can't, and that's that.

January 1 is the official "stop hogging" day my friends, till then lets all dig into the butter laden, sinfully rich and downright delightful treats that herald the festive season.

I think dishes like these highlight the versatility in Indian cuisine. For instance a rice and moong dal combination is used to make a savory, comforting khichdi as well as a rich dessert like this one.

Having seen this dish on other blogs I know that it is called pongal in the South. We call it 'goad bhaat' or sweetened rice; variations of this dish include kesari bhaat (saffron rice), narali bhaat (coconut rice) and sakhar bhaat (sugary rice). These dishes are all considered quite special and made only on festive occassions.

GOAD BHAAT (Sweet Rice)
(serves 4-5)
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup yellow moong dal
3/4 cup grated jaggery (adjust to taste)
1/4 cup grated coconut
6-7 green cardamoms, peeled and powdered
8-10 cashews, broken into pieces
a pinch of saffron dissolved in 1/2 cup warm milk
2-3 tbsp ghee

Wash rice and moong dal in 2-3 changes of water. Drain thoroughly and spread on a plate to dry for 20 minutes.

Heat ghee in a deep saucepan. Roast the dal and rice on low heat until glazed and aromatic.

Add two cups of water and half cup of saffron milk. Cook till rice and dal are well done and mushy.

Mash well so they lose their shape. Add grated jaggery, powdered cardamoms and coconut. Stir and cook on low heat until jaggery is well dissolved and the mixture becomes homogenous.

Heat a tablespoon of ghee in another pan. Roast cashews until they turn golden and add to rice.

Spoon into individual bowls and serve warm with a drizzle of ghee.

Entry for - JFI - Ghee/ Butter hosted by Cooking Medley

Tags: sweet rice goad khichdi sakhar bhaat prasad