About
Sakkarai Pongal also known as sweet Pongal is a traditional recipe popular in Tamil Nadu and prepared mainly during Pongal and many other festivals/occasions. It is one of the most loved Pongal and is enjoyed by both adults and kids. It is a creamy rich Pongal made of rice, dal and jaggery. They are cooked till mushy and enriched with ghee and milk. This is quite easy to make with my step by step guide.
MAJOR INGREDIENTS
Rice
Pongal is usually made with raw ponni rice (pachariai in Tamil). Since we make this mostly as a Prasad, raw rice is preferred to parboiled rice. Also raw rice cooks faster and suits best for the recipe.
Dal
Any traditional Pongal recipe will have moong dal. Make sure to slightly roast it to avoid a pungent raw smell in the Pongal.
Jaggery
For sweet Pongal, jaggery syrup is made before adding rice and dal. If you are using proper jaggery, ground them and strain the syrup for impurities. There are many readymade jaggery powders now available, which need not require any straining. You can also use country sugar(naatu sakkarai) or coconut sugar. However, it varies the taste slightly.
TIPS AND NOTES
- Make sure the rice and dal is well cooked. It should be mushy. Don’t add jaggery or salt while cooking.
- Cooking rice in milk gives it a richness and improves the taste.
- If you are using regular jaggery, make sure to strain the syrup before using it in Pongal. It might contain impurities which act as a hurdle while tasting . If you are using readymade jaggery powder, it might not have impurities so no need to strain.
- Adding a little ghee in syrup itself will enhance the overall flavour.
- Once it cools down, sakkarai Pongal will harden. So switch off the flame before it reaches required consistency (slightly loose) so that it sets properly while you eat.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Take moong dal, as per the quantity mentioned in recipe. Slightly dry roast them till raw smell goes and turns aromatic. Avoid roasting till colour changes. Just enough to make it aromatic.
Take Raw rice , wash it twice and soak for 10 minutes. Now add the moong dal and washed rice in a pressure cooker.
Add water and milk (half the quantity as specified) and mix well. This make it richer and tastier.
Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Both rice and moong dal should be cooked till mushy.
Once it is cooked, add remaining milk and start to mash it well.
Just mash randomly and mix together with milk.
Take jaggery and water in a kadai. Let the jaggery completely dissolves. Strain the syrup for any impurities. If you are using jaggery powder, no need to strain it. Add little (1 tsp) ghee at this stage to enhance the flavour.
Once it starts to boil and everything is dissolves , add the cooked rice and dal. No need for any string consistency. Mix everything well.
Once everything combines well and becomes creamy, add ghee little by little and mix till it absorbs and add cardamom powder and mix well.
It should be slightly loose in consistency, so that once it cools down it hardens to correct consistency.
For the tempering, add ghee, cashews and raisins . Roast it well and pour over the Pongal.
Creamy and rich sweet Pongal aka sakkarai Pongal in ready to be served. Happy Eating!!
STORAGE
Since we use milk , it has very less shelf life, so it can only be stored for a day. Same can be done without milk and can be stored for 2 days.
Sakkarai Pongal | Sweet Pongal
Description
Sakkarai Pongal also known as sweet Pongal is a traditional recipe popular in Tamil Nadu. It is a slow cooking rice & dal with jaggery syrup and enriched with milk and ghee.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slightly dry roast them till raw smell goes and turns aromatic. Avoid roasting till colour changes.
- Take Raw rice , wash it twice and soak for 10 minutes.
- Now add the moong dal and washed rice in a pressure cooker.
- Add water and milk (half the quantity as specified) and mix well. This make it richer and tastier.
- Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
- Both rice and moong dal should be cooked till mushy.
- Once it is cooked, add remaining milk and start to mash it well.
- Just mash randomly and mix together with milk.
- Take jaggery and water in a kadai. Let the jaggery completely dissolves.
- Strain the syrup for any impurities.
- If you are using jaggery powder, no need to strain it. Add 1 tsp ghee, to enhance the flavour.
- Once it starts to boil and everything is dissolves , add the cooked rice and dal.
- No need for any string consistency. Mix everything well.
- Once everything combines well and becomes creamy, add ghee little by little and mix till it absorbs.
- Add cardamom powder and mix well.
- It should be slightly loose in consistency, so that once it cools down it hardens to correct consistency.
- For the tempering, add ghee, cashews and raisins .
- Roast it well and pour over the Pongal.
- Creamy and rich sweet Pongal aka sakkarai Pongal in ready to be served. Happy Eating!!
