HOW TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL | SAKKARA PONGAL AT HOME
Sweet Pongal | Sakkarai Pongal | Chakkara Pongal is usually made in South India during Pongal festival which is usually known as Makar Sankranti in northern parts of India. Traditionally it is made in a mud pot or a brass/copper vessel using freshly harvested rice.
Rice and moong dal is cooked together and mixed with jaggery syrup. A generous amount of ghee is added along with roasted nuts and cardamom and is offered to God as naivedyam. Here the same recipe is done using a pressure cooker to quicken the cooking process and milk is added to bring out a creamier texture.
HOW TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL AT HOME
Cooking instructions with step by step pictures
Wash roasted moong dal and raw rice several times in water. In a pressure cooker add rice, dal, cardamom pods, 3 cups water, 1 cup milk and cook in medium flame for 5 to 6 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
In a kadai take the jaggery, add 1/3 cup of water and boil it till the jaggery is dissolved. You can adjust the amount of jaggery for your taste. If you want a sweeter pongal, add 3 cups jaggery.
Once the jaggery is dissolved, strain it through a metal strainer to remove the impurities and keep it aside.
Once rice and dal is cooked, mash it with the back of the ladle to make it slightly mushy. If it looks dry you can add half a cup of hot water or milk and mash it. Now add the jaggery syrup and mix well.
Add ¼ cup of milk at this stage and simmer for 5 mins. Adding milk now is optional. It gives a wonderful texture to the Pongal.
In a pan, add ghee and roast cashews and raisins.
Add them to the pressure cooker and mix well.
Serve sweet pongal hot !!
Sweet Pongal | Sakkara Pongal
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw rice
- ¼ cup roasted moong dal
- 1 + ¼ cup milk
- 3 cups water
- 2½ cups jaggery
- 5 tbsp ghee
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 10 to 12 cashews
- 10 to 12 raisins
Instructions
- Wash roasted moong dal and raw rice several times in water. In a pressure cooker add rice, dal, cardamom pods, 3 cups water, 1 cup milk and cook in medium flame for 5 to 6 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
- In a kadai take the jaggery, add 1/3 cup of water and boil it till the jaggery is dissolved. You can adjust the amount of jaggery for your taste. If you want a sweeter pongal, add 3 cups jaggery.
- Once the jaggery is dissolved, strain it through a metal strainer to remove the impurities and keep it aside.
- Once rice and dal is cooked, mash it with the back of the ladle to make it slightly mushy. If it looks dry you can add half a cup of hot water or milk and mash it.
- Now add the jaggery syrup and mix well.
- Add ¼ cup of milk at this stage and simmer for 5 mins. Adding milk now is optional. It gives a wonderful texture to the Pongal.
- In a pan, add ghee and roast cashews and raisins. Add them to the pressure cooker and mix well.
- Serve sweet pongal hot !!
Notes
- Always roast moong dal till aromatic before cooking. For roasting moong dal heat a pan and dry roast it on a low flame till it becomes aromatic and starting to become golden brown. It should not change colour. Switch off the stove and shift to another container to stop the cooking process.
- You can increase or decrease the amount of jaggery according to your preferance.
- If you feel that the sweetness is not enough after adding the jaggery syrup, you can add powdered jaggery in that stage if you do not have extra jaggery syrup.
- Please do not reduce the amount of ghee as ghee gives a wonderful flavour and maintains the consistency of the dish.
- Few recipes use edible camphor – go ahead and add it if you like the smell of the camphor.
- Rice and dal has to be thoroughly cooked before adding jaggery syrup as rice tends to become hard on adding the syrup.
- You can substitute rice with millets & brown rice for a healthier option.
Checkout other sweet recipes in the blog,