Huggi
Udupi sweet rice-moong porridge — rice and split yellow moong dal pressure-cooked together with water, jaggery, coconut milk, and cardamom until both dissolve into a thick, golden, fragrant porridge. Finished with a generous pour of ghee in which cashews and raisins are fried until golden and coconut pieces are fried until brown. The huggi is the Karnataka Brahmin sweet pongal: the same concept as Tamil chakarai pongal and Tamil ven pongal combined into the sweet version. The use of coconut milk alongside jaggery gives the Udupi huggi a deeper, more tropical sweetness than the milk-based payasam. Made specifically for the Udupi temple prasadam on festival days — particularly the Paryaya festival (when the eight Mathas of Udupi take turns administering the Krishna temple) — and for the Gokulashtami celebration.
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Recipe
Ingredients
| 1 cup | rice |
| 1/2 cup | moong dal (split green gram) |
| 1/4 teaspoon | turmeric powder |
| 1 tablespoon | ghee |
| 1/2 teaspoon | mustard seeds |
| 1/2 teaspoon | cumin seeds |
| 1 pinch | asafoetida |
| 1 tablespoon | grated coconut |
| 6-8 | curry leaves |
| 2 | green chilies, slit |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
| 3 cups | water |
Instructions
- 1 Wash the rice and moong dal together under running water until the water runs clear.
- 2 Soak the rice and moong dal mixture for 15 minutes, then drain.
- 3 In a large pot, add the soaked rice and moong dal, turmeric powder, salt, and 3 cups of water.
- 4 Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice and dal are soft and mushy, about 25-30 minutes.
- 5 In a separate pan, heat ghee over medium heat.
- 6 Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- 7 Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, and green chilies. Sauté for a minute until fragrant.
- 8 Pour the tempering over the cooked rice and dal mixture and mix well.
- 9 Garnish with grated coconut before serving.
Tips
For a richer flavor, you can add a handful of cashews or peanuts during the tempering process.