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Checkout Sakkarai Pongal / Sweet Pongal – A popular sweet dish made with rice, moong dal, jaggery, ghee, dry fruits and flavoured with cardamom and edible camphor(optional). This dish is made during festivals and special occasions and offered to god.
During Thai Pongal, a dish which marks its presence in most households of Tamil speaking people is Sakkarai Pongal also called as chakkara pongal. On the day 1 of the Tamil Month “Thai”, Pongal festival is celebrated to thank Sun god for good harvest. Sweet pongal is offered to god as neivedyam along with sugar cane and others. There are so many different type of recipes followed to make pongal. The traditional recipe is with Rice, moong dal, jaggery and ghee. The recipe below is traditional recipe and you can also checkout the step by step pictures.
In the picture below, you can see the delicious sweet pongal topped with golden fried cashew nuts. This sweet pongal is offered as prasad or naivedyam in temples too. This sweet is very popular in Tamil Nadu. Hotel saravana bhavan sweet pongal tastes so good with lots of ghee. Do the try the recipe below on any special occasions or on Pongal.
You can also try Ven pongal Recipe from my blog. For your sweet tooth, here are some desserts carrot halwa, semiya payasam and Rice Kheer (paal payasam)
Sakkarai Pongal Recipe
Sakkarai Pongal / Sweet Pongal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice
- 1/2 cup Moong dal
- 1 cup Jaggery
- 1/4 cup Ghee
- 6 Cashews
- 6 Raisins
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
Instructions
How to make Sakkarai Pongal
- In a pressure cooker, add ghee
- Add moong dal and rice. Roast on low flame for a min. Do not brown them. Roast till fragrant.
- Add 5 cups of water to the cooker. Close the lid and pressure cook for 5 - 6 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally
- Mash the rice and dal mixture with the back of the ladle.
- Meanwhile, in another pan, add powdered jaggery and 1 cup water to immerse it.
- Heat till the jaggery dissolves. Filter the jaggery syrup.
- Now add the jaggery syrup to the pressure cooker.
- Mix well. Let it cook for 3 more mins.
- Add ghee now and then.
- In a pan, add ghee
- Add cashews and raisins. Fry till cashews turn golden brown and raisins puff up.
- Add it to the pressure cooker. Add cardamom powder and give a good mix.
- Switch off the flame at your desired consistency.
Notes
- Pongal tends to become thick after it cools down. If it is too thick, you can add hot water and keep on medium flame for 2 mins to adjust the consistency.
- Serve either hot or cold. Tastes so yummy.
- Adding edible camphor is optional.
How to make Sakkarai Pongal / Sweet Pongal
- In a pressure cooker, add ghee.
- Add moong dal and rice. Roast on low flame for a min. Do not brown them. Roast till fragrant.
- Add 5 cups of water to the cooker. Close the lid and pressure cook for 5 – 6 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Mash the rice and dal mixture with the back of the ladle.
- Meanwhile, in another pan, add powdered jaggery and 1 cup water to immerse it. Heat till the jaggery dissolves. Filter the jaggery syrup.
- Now add the jaggery syrup to the pressure cooker. Mix well. Let it cook for 3 more mins. Add ghee now and then. In saravana bhavan sweet pongal, there will be lots of ghee which taste so divine.
- In a pan, add ghee. Add cashews and raisins. Fry till cashews turn golden brown and raisins puff up.
- Add it to the pressure cooker. Add cardamom powder and give a good mix.
- Switch off the flame at your desired consistency.
Tips for making Chakkara pongal
- Pongal tends to become thick after it cools down. If it is too thick, you can add hot water and keep on medium flame for 2 mins to adjust the consistency.
- Serve either hot or cold. Tastes so yummy.
- Adding edible camphor is optional.
Did you Try this Recipe?
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