Ksheerannam - Heaven in every spoonful!

    
So, as it happens in every grad's life, I hit the sack at 4 AM last night. A look at the cellphone through heavy eyelids, a few seconds later, showed the time to be 10:27 AM. Panic! It was Pongal and I had a class at 1:30, a meeting with my adviser at 3 (which requires a minimum two hours of self-pep talk) and I had to make Pongal and offer it to the Sun, before noon. But when I hot the shower, a minute later, my mind refused to think about the class, the assignments, my adviser or the related pep-talk. It was rather going over the various varieties of Pongals that one could make on such a short notice. "Sakkara Pongal (duh.. you made Akkaara Adisal three days ago), Ven Pongal (Add an extra 30 minutes for Sambhar!), Kalkandu Pongal (Now, where do I get sugar candy at this time?)... Paal Pongal (Ingredients : check, eligibility for pooja : check, Time : ?)

Nevertheless, 5 minutes later (yes, a bath can be THAT short!), I was pouring milk into the vessel, getting ready to make Paal Pongal, also called Ksheerannam (Rice with milk) or Paramaannam (Food of the Gods). What started out as an effort to make it to college on time, went on for 75 minutes, gave time for 30 minutes of self-pep talk, and ended with a terrific meeting with my adviser (Oh, I gave him some of the Ksheerannam too :D). But its taste just about made my day!

Ksheerannam is technically more popular in Andhra than Tamil Nadu, and is often made on festive days throughout the year. But it acquires special significance on Sankranthi. To many traditional farmers, this would be the first meal with the newly harvested rice, and their dutiful wives make sure to prepare it with a taste that lingers on their tongues all the way into the next year! Let's celebrate the spirits of these farmers, their farm animals and their aides, for providing us with the choicest of produce all year long. Happy Pongal, once again!

KSHEERANNAM (Serves 6)
Set-up Time : -

Experiment Run-Time : 75 Minutes

The Shopping List

           Raw Rice : 1/2 cup, washed and drained

           Saffron : 1 generous pinch

           Whole Milk : 6 cups

           Ghee : 1 Tbsp

           Cashews : 10, broken in half

           Condensed Milk : 3 Tbsp

           Sugar : 4 Tbsp

Methodology

1. You would need one vessel with a heavy-bottom to boil the milk without burning it. After much looking around the kitchen, I settled for a Prstige Pressure cooker. Rinse it well with soap and hot water, and place it on the stove. Once dry, pour the entire 6 cups of milk and add the saffron. Allow the milk to come to a boil.

2. When the milk starts to boil, add the rice to the boiling milk. The boiling will subside for a few minutes, until it begins again with a renewed zest.

3. Reduce the flame and star stirring the mixture in a gentle sweeping motion. You are going to be doing this for the next 45 minutes, continuously, without batting an eyelid. The milk will gradually start to thicken and the rice will take on a creamy appearance. Your are nearly done when the the mixture comes to a near-solid appearance. Switch off the stove.

4. When the mixture is still hot, add the sugar and the condensed milk and stir well. Transfer it to the offering-dish.

5. Top it off with the cashews that have been lightly fried in ghee. It's all yours now to dig in!

Naivedhya!

If desired, one may refrain from adding the saffron, cashews, sugar and condensed milk, and add salt instead. Also called Paal Pongal/ Uppu Pongal, this is what is made in many Tamil farmer households, further south, on Pongal day. They eat it with a spicy gravy called Kanu Koottu and the combination is known to be on par with the sweet version.    

Ksheerannam is equally delightful when served hot or cold. I offered it at pooja (No, I didn't go out in the -4 degree weather to offer it to Surya! I just asked Him to come inside and have some) and finished off my share in the blink of an eye (time was running), when it was still steaming hot. UN-BEL-IEVABLE!