Madurai Meenakshi Temple Prasadam Gudannam | Nei pongal

Madurai Meenakshi Temple Prasadam Gudannam, also known as Nei Pongal, is a traditional sweet dish offered as prasadam (holy offering) at the famous Madurai Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu, India. It is made by cooking a mixture of rice, moong dal, jaggery and ghee, along with cardamom and other ingredients. Here is a recipe to make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw rice
• 1/2 cup moong dal
• 1/2 cup jaggery
• 1/4 cup ghee
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 cups of water
• Salt, a pinch

Instructions:

1. Rinse the rice and moong dal and soak them in water for about 20 minutes.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and roast the rice and moong dal until they turn golden brown.
3. Add water, salt, cardamom powder and bring it to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat, cover it with a lid and let it simmer until the rice and dal are cooked and all the water is absorbed.
5. Add the jaggery and mix it well until it is dissolved.
6. Cook it for a couple of minutes until it becomes thick and creamy.
7. Serve the Madurai Meenakshi Temple Prasadam Gudannam hot or warm as a dessert or as a snack.

Note: You can adjust the quantity of jaggery as per your taste and preference. And also you can add some chopped nuts like cashews or raisins to enhance the flavors.