KALKANDU RICE| KALKANDU SADHAM

I was not a big fan of Kalkandu rice until I tasted this at Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple during a festival.
I never used to have this rice when my mom prepares at home. I prefer only chakkarai pongal.
My mom once got the perfect recipe from a Gurukal in a nearby temple in our hometown. Definetly this recipe will not taste equivalent to Kovil Prasadham.More than the regular ingredients, the Prasadham usually consists of the unique flavours which is very difficult to recreate at home.But I can assure you that this recipe tastes divine.
Kalkandu Rice is different from Kalkandu Pongal.In Pongal moong dhal is also used and very little or no milk is used. In Kalkandu sadham, the rice is completely cooked in milk and drenched with pure ghee.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice/Raw Rice	1/2 cup
Ghee	1/4 cup
Milk	2 cups
Kalkandu (Sugar Candy)	3/4 cup
Saffron	a pinch
Broken Cashewnuts	1 tablespoon
Cardomom powder	a pinch
Nutmeg powder	a pinch

Steps:
1) Slightly fry the rice until it gets warm

2) Wash the rice thoroughly and cook in pressure cooker with milk and saffron for 3 whistles
3) Heat 1/4 water and add the kalkandu. Boil until it dissolves. The syrup will become sticky by the time it melts.No need to check for any consistency

4) Add the cooked rice and ghee little by little

5) Add cardomom and nutmeg powder

6) Fry cashews and raisins in 1 tsp of ghee and add to the rice

Notes:
Do not reduce the ghee.
Though it is traditionally prepared with raw rice, basmati rice gives a rich flavor
Do not attempt this recipe with granulated sugar.It tastes best only with Sugar candy (Kalkandu)
Chop the raisins slightly before frying in ghee. This will avoid the raisins puffing up while frying

Sending this to Walk Through Memory Lane event Gayathri