Channa Dal Pradhaman

Ingredients :

• Channa dal [ kadalai parupu ] - 1 cup [ roasted to a golden colour ]
• Fresh coconut - 1 big [ or you can use ready made coconut milk also ]
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Jaggery  - 1 cup
• Cardamom [ yalakkai ] - 6 to 7 [ powder ]
• Coconut pieces - 2 tbsp [ fried in ghee ]
• Cashew nuts - 10 to 12 [ fried in ghee ]
• Ripe Plantain [Nenthra pazham / Kerala Banana] - 1 [ cut into small pieces ]

Method :

Grate the white portion of coconut, blend in a mixie and keep in a vessel. Add 1/2 cup of boiled water. Mix well and allow to cool. When it becomes cool, squeeze out the milk. Keep the 1st milk separately. In this way extract the milk 2 more times and keep each milk seperately. Roast channa dal in a frying pan in golden color and cook the dal along with chopped banana pieces in the third coconut milk first. When the dal gets half cooked, add the second milk and boil well. Add jaggery, sugar and mix well. Cook till it gets done. Add cardomom powder, fried coconut and cashewnut pieces in ghee. Finally add the first coconut milk and mix well. When one boil comes remove from the gas. Your yummy channa dal pradhaman is ready to serve.

This dish is served very commonly in most of the south indian functions.