Sakkarai Pongal | Chakkarai Pongal | Sweet Pongal

Sakkarai Pongal or Chakkarai Pongal or Sweet Pongal is a traditional South Indian dish prepared with rice, moong dal, jaggery, and milk. It’s a popular neivediyam/prasadam,a religious offering to God, and it is made often for various festivals in South India.

When I think of festivals, the first thing that comes to mind is a house full of people with fun, laughter with families and friends and then SWEETS! Every festival has a traditional sweet associated with it and Pongal festival is no exception. So Today I’m gonna share a delicious sweet pongal recipe in stove-top pressure cooker method.

For those who are unfamiliar with this festival, Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by South Indians. Each South Indian state has a different name for the festival and we Tamilians call it Pongal (meaning to boil over or overflow).

Traditionally, freshly harvested rice is cooked in milk in a clay pot until it boils over and it is sweetened by the adding jaggery to it. The sweetened pongal (sakkarai pongal) is then tempered with ghee and nuts and spiced with aromatic crushed cardamom. There is also a savory version of this pongal dish where rice and lentils is tempered with cumin and pepper. But both the sweet and savory version use the same base ingredients and are cooked to the same mushy consistency. They both use a good amount of ghee for the flavor and taste. It’s a celebration after all and ghee makes everything feel festive! Doesn’t it?

Check my Pongal/Sankranti Special Recipes,

Broken Wheat Khara Pongal

Kodo Millet Pongal

Til Gul Poli

Tips for making the best sweet pongal recipe:

1. The consistency of the cooked rice and dal is important. Make sure they are nice and mushy. Something to be careful about if you are cooking the rice in an open pot.
2. Use good quality ghee (if vegan use neutral tasting oil like vegetable or avocado oil ) and use a lot of cashews and raisins while temepring.
3. Roasting the moong dal gives a good flavor although this step is optional. For the best flavor roast the lentils for couple of minutes or so until you get a nice aroma.

Lets see how to make this delicious sweet pongal,

Sakkarai Pongal | Chakkarai Pongal | Sweet Pongal RECIPE

Ingredients

1 cup raw rice,washed and drained
1/2 cup yellow moong dal
3 1/2 cup water
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups jaggery,grated (check the sweetness of your jaggery and adjust accordingly. If its very sweet, use 1 cup)
2 – 3 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cashews
1 tbsp raisins
1/4 tsp cardamom powder or crush 4 to 5 green cardamom pods

Instructions

1. Add 1 tbsp of ghee and roast the yellow moong dal in the pressure cooker until nice and golden.
2. Now add the washed raw rice and mix well and add the milk and water. Cook for about 5 whistles and let the presure release naturally.
3. While you wait for pressure to subside, powder the jaggery. If using jaggery cubes, melt them with 1/2 cup water, until no lumps remain.
4. Now open the pressure cooker and add the powdered or melted jaggery to it and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. If at this stage the pongal is too thick, add 1/2 to 1 cup hot water as needed to dilute it. If too thin, let it simmer for more time until it thickens. Remember, the pongal will thicken some more when cooled.
5. Add the crushed cardamom or powdered cardamom and 1 tbsp of ghee to it and mix well.
6. Now heat a small pan with a tbsp of ghee and when it becomes hot, add the cashews, raisins and roast them until the cashews turn golden. Add them to the pongal and mix well.
7. Serve hot with an extra dollop of ghee.

Notes

1. Adjust the consistency of the pongal by adding hot water to it as needed. The pongal will thicken as it cools.
2. It will tastes very good even if it is cooked with just water and no milk.
3. Some people like to add a tiny pinch of edible camphor for some flavor. If using camphor, add it at the end, while adding the cashews and raisins and mix well.
4. If you are cooking the rice and dal in an open pot, cook them with lots of water/ milk until they are well cooked and mushy. Proceed with the tempering and other steps as mentioned above.

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