Paramanna

Ingredients:
Rice - 1/8 cup
Milk - 0.38 cup
Jaggery - 0.19 cup
Cashew Nuts - 2 1/2    
Raisins (Seedless) - 1/4 fistful  
Cardamom (powder) - 1/8 teaspoon
Clarified Butter(Ghee) - 1/2 tablespoon

Method:
1. Wash and soak rice in two cups of water for about fifteen minutes.
2. In a small sauce pan, bring to boil half a cup of water and crushed jaggery. Lower heat and slowly simmer until the syrup is sticky (if a drop is taken between the thumb and fore finger, it should feel sticky but not stretch out like a thread). Remove from heat and keep aside.
3. In another sauce pan, bring milk to a boil. Drain water from the rice and add to the milk. Lower heat to medium and cook until the rice is done and the mixture looks thick.
4. Remove the sauce pan and allow to cool for a minute or two. And now add the cooled jaggery syrup from the smaller sauce pan. Stir well. Keep aside.
5. Now, in a small skillet heat clarified butter/ghee and when hot, add cashew nuts. Fry for a minute or two until the nuts change colour to pale brown. Add raisins and stir for a minute.
6. Remove from heat and pour the contents of the above skillet into the sauce pan containing rice mixture. Also, stir in cardamom powder. Keep covered for two minutes.
7. Serve hot along with melted clarified butter on the side.

additional information:
Occasionally, when jaggery syrup is added to the rice mixture, the milk splits. This could be because of two reasons: 1.The jaggery is adulterated. 2.The rice mixture is too hot and when mixed with jaggery syrup results in the milk splitting. Hence, it is advised to add jaggery syrup to rice only after it has been allowed to cool for a minute or so.