Quinoa Pongal (Sweet)

This dish called Pongal is also a harvest festival !  Both the dish and festival are popular in the South of India!! It can be prepared as a savoury or a sweet!
I must say that this dish prepared with cooked Quinoa tastes even more delicious than the Pongal made with rice as it is moist and has a lovely texture!!

Quinoa pronounced as Keen-Wa is a very popular super food, packed with nutrients, less in carbohydrates and a GREAT substitute for Rice!!
It is a grain food, very high in fibre, soluble, helps reduce blood sugar levels as it has a low GI and helps in reducing cholesterol as well!
Very high in protein, iron and magnesium,  and loads of nutrients, it is no wonder  it has become the most popular grain food world wide!!!

Ingredients to serve 10 people

1 Cup Quinoa
2 ½  Cups Water (to cook the Quinoa)
3/4 Cup Powdered Jaggery OR Brown Sugar
4 Tbs Ghee

For the Spices

2 Tsp. Cardamom Powder
2 Tsp. Nutmeg Powder
A Pinch Edible Camphor (optional)
2-3 Tbs Chopped Cashew nuts

Quinoa Sweet Pongal

Quinoa Pongal (Sweet)

Preparation

Lightly saute the cup of Quinoa, add the 2 1/2 cups of water and pressure cook it for up to 4 whistles or 20 minutes OR

You may directly cook the Quinoa in a pan on the stove on medium flame
Cook it until soft (add water if necessary) and set aside

Place a medium sized pan on a low flame and add a tablespoon of ghee.
Add the cashew nuts and fry till the nuts turn golden brown

Add the jaggery or brown sugar to the cooked Quinoa
Keep stirring it on medium heat every two minutes till it solidifies.
Stir in the remainder of the ghee into the Quinoa Jaggery mix

Garnish with the cardamom powder, edible camphor, fried cashew nuts and nutmeg powder
The Quinoa Pongal is ready to be served.

Note:  Quinoa cooks the same amount of time as rice!  
The spices add great taste and flavour to the dish.
Sultanas may be added as well to the dish as a garnishing.

My preference is to use the spices quite generously as it tastes delicious!!