Kalkandu Pongal, a delicious sweet pongal made with rock candy/ kalkandu. It's one of the famous offerings during Navarathri days in our hometown during my teen years.
Especially on the last three days of festival which is dedicated to the Godness Saraswathi who is the embodiment of pure knowledge and white color is associated with her so people believe that white colour prasadam enhance the blessing of the Godness . So , this kalkandu pongal is the common prasadam served on temples or even on Golu houses. 
Procedure
Rice
Like any pongal, raw rice taste great with this pongal too. But i have tried this pongal with sona massori rice in the past and it tastes equally good. So you can try this pongal with whatever the rice you have in hand.
Kalkandu
Kalkandu is simply a rock sugar candy and it's widely used in Indian sweets like ladoo and all. Kalkandu comes in varies shapes. Here i have used the small variety but any variety of kalkandu can be used in this recipe.
Also i have used 1:1 ratio of rice and kalkandu but you can add up to 1.5 cup of kalkandu depends on how much sweetness you want.
Milk
Adding milk to this pongal gives great flavor and creaminess to the pongal. I have used full fat milk for this recipe. Though you can use less fat milk but i highly recommend to use full fat milk for delicious pongal.
Ok, now let's see how to make this delicious kalkandu pongal.
Kalkandu Pongal
Preparation Time : 30 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2
Recipe Category: Sweets | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Category: Sweets | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
Kalkandu - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1 & 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew - 10
Procedure
Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Then drain the water and add 1 cup of water & milk into the rice and cook it for 3 whistles in pressure cooker or until the rice is slightly mushy.
Once the pressure is automatically released , open the lid and then add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the kalkandu . Let the kalkandu melts completely. 
Meanwhile in a another pan, add the 2 tbsp of ghee and cashews, roast till the cashews are golden brown.
Once the pongal starts to thicken a bit, add the cashews along with that ghee. Give a gentle mix and then finally add the cardamom powder and add the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix it altogether and switch off the flame.
Delicious Kalkandu pongal is ready.
Related: How to Nei Payasam
Notes:
- Switch off the flame when the pongal is slightly runny. It tends to thicken when it's completely cooled down.
- In addition of cardamom powder, a pinch of nutmeg can also be added for great flavor.
- If you like raisins, add a few while frying cashews.
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