Millet Kalkandu bath, Pongal special recipes

Millet Kalkandu bath recipe with video and step by step pictures, a popular sweet made during Pongal festival in Tamilnadu. Traditionally we make Sakkarai pongal for pongal festival in Tamilnadu. Sakkarai pongal and Ven pongal is also given as one of the prasadams in temples in most of the places in South India. Kalkandu bath | kalkandu sadam, is a creamy sweet | dessert, made using rice, milk and sugar candy. I have posted kalkandu pongal but this one is with Millets. Varagu gives an excellent replacement of Raw rice. I wanted to make it using panakarkandu| palm candy, but ended up by making millet kalkandu bath. I will try to post the panakalkandu version of pongal too. Though we don't kalkandu pongal on the Pongal festival day, this can me made on the kannu pongal day. Needless to say this is the best neivedyam for Navarati and other traditional festivals.
The addition of milk in this sweet candy pongal makes it more creamier and delicious. You can add some condensed milk in the last to enhance the richness and taste.
I got the Sugar candy | Kalkandu from Sri Murugan stores Singapore. They have both the small and big variety of Kalkandu. Since i used the big variety for making my kalakandu pongal with rice, i chose the small diamond kalkandu. Sri murugan stores has a wide range of Indian grocery and even the millet i used for this pongal is got from there. They deliver island wide and order can be placed through Sri Murugan Android and iOs app too.
Check out my Complete collection of Pongal festival recipes. 

Millet Kalkandu bath

• Recipe Cusine: Indian
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook time: 35 Minutes
• Serves: 4
• Author: Jeyashri
• Recipe Category: Dessert
• Description: Millet Kalkandu bath recipe with video and step by step pictures, a popular sweet made during Pongal festival in Tamilnadu.

    Varagu | Kodo millet   1/2 cup
    Milk  1 cup
    Water  2 cups
    Ghee  2 tblsp
    Kalkandu | sugar candy  3/4 cup
    Edible camphor  a very tiny pinch
    Nutmeg   a small mustard size
    Cardamom powder  a pinch
    Cashew nuts   few
    Raisins  few

Method  :

• Wash the millet and add 1 cup of milk and 2 cups of water to this.
• Always use a big vessel for making this, else the milk will over flow, leaving the rice uncooked. 
• Pressure cook this till 7-8 whistles. Let it be in medium flame, after it starts whistling.
• Keep in simmer for 5 minutes.
• Once the pressure is released naturally, take out and mash it nicely with a ladle.
• If you want you can slightly roast 2 tblsp of moong dal and add along with the millet while cooking. 
• Powder the kalkandu | sugar candy.
• Add the cooked mashed rice to a pan.
• Add the powdered candy sugar to this.
• Add 1 tblsp of ghee to this. 
• Mix well and keep the flame low.
• If you want to add some more milk or condensed milk add now.
• Let this slowly starts boiling, keep in low flame only. 
• Add the nutmeg powder ( i grated from full nutmeg), edible camphor and cardamom powder. 
• Mix well.
• Roast the cashew nuts in 1 tblsp of ghee.
• Once it is almost done, add the raisins. They tend to cook very fast. 
• Switch off the flame.
• Mix well.
• Kalkandu bath is ready for neivedyam. 

                                         Video of how to make Millet Kalkandu bath

Notes:

1. You can use any variety of Millet to make this kalkandu pongal.
2. Milk can be added more and water can be reduced while cooking the millet.
3. Moong dal can be added to get a more creamier texture. 
4. If need to reheat on stove top, add the kalakandu pongal to a pan and add 1/4 cup of full cream milk and cook for 5 - 7 minutes. 
5. Always use full cream milk for making Kalkandu pongal | kalkandu bath. 

    

Method  with step by step pictures:

• Wash the millet and add 1 cup of milk and 2 cups of water to this.
• Always use a big vessel for making this, else the milk will over flow, leaving the rice uncooked. 

• Pressure cook this till 7-8 whistles. Let it be in medium flame, after it starts whistling.
• Keep in simmer for 5 minutes.
• Once the pressure is released naturally, take out and mash it nicely with a ladle.

• If you want you can slightly roast 2 tblsp of moong dal and add along with the millet while cooking. 
• Powder the kalkandu | sugar candy.

• Add the cooked mashed rice to a pan.
• Add the powdered candy sugar to this.
• Add 1 tblsp of ghee to this. 
• Mix well and keep the flame low.

• If you want to add some more milk or condensed milk add now.
• Let this slowly starts boiling, keep in low flame only. 
• Add the nutmeg powder ( i grated from full nutmeg), edible camphor and cardamom powder. 
• Mix well.
• Roast the cashew nuts in 1 tblsp of ghee.
• Once it is almost done, add the raisins. They tend to cook very fast. 

• Switch off the flame.
• Mix well.
• Kalkandu bath is ready for neivedyam. 

Notes:

1. You can use any variety of Millet to make this kalkandu pongal.
2. Milk can be added more and water can be reduced while cooking the millet.
3. Moong dal can be added to get a more creamier texture. 
4. If need to reheat on stove top, add the kalakandu pongal to a pan and add 1/4 cup of full cream milk and cook for 5 - 7 minutes. 
5. Always use full cream milk for making Kalkandu pongal | kalkandu bath.