Sweet Pongal Recipe-Sakkarai Pongal-Chakkarai Pongal

Pongal is one of the most popular four day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. It falls in mid January. It is like a Thanksgiving occasion to nature. Chakkara Pongal is a delicacy made from newly harvested rice. It is cooked with jaggery, ghee and cashew nuts and is offered to sun god. Today let us learn how to make sakkarai pongal or sweet pongal following our easy and fool proof recipe with step wise pictures.

Sweet Pongal Recipe-Sakkarai Pongal-Chakkarai Pongal


 Prep Time : 15 mins

Cook Time : 20 mins
Serves: 2-3
Recipe Category: Dessert
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

   Ingredients needed

   Raw Rice – 1/2 cup
   Moong dal/pasi paruppu – 1/4 cup
   Jaggery – 1 cup grated
   Cashew nuts -2 tbsp
   Raisins -2-3 tbsp
   Cardamom – 4 pods or 1/4 tsp powder
   Ghee/clarified butter -1/4 cup
   Ghee -1/2 tsp (for jaggery syrup)

Preparation

Dry roast rice and dal separately until it is hot to touch. It is not necessary to fry until it changes color.

Pressure cook rice and dal together with 2 1/2 cups of water. Mash it well and keep it aside. (I have used old rice. For new rice, add only 2 cups of water.)

If using cardamom pods, peel and powder cardamom. Keep it aside.

Method


Heat 1/4 cup of water in a pan and add jaggery to it. When it dissolves, filter it to remove impurities. Boil jaggery water with a tsp of ghee on medium heat. Take a cup of water, add a tsp of jaggery syrup to it, if it does not dissolve, then it is the right stage to add mashed rice and dal. (I make it very clear – you do not have to boil the jaggery water until it reaches sticky consistency or string consistency)

Add mashed rice, dal mixture and cook for a few minutes until everything gets blended well as in the picture below. Add cardamom powder at this stage.

Fry cashew nuts in a tsp of ghee. Remove from pan and add to the rice dal mixture.

Add the rest of the ghee and fry raisins until they puff up and add it to the rice dal mixture along with ghee.

Cook for a few minutes on low heat until everything gets blended well. Serve hot.

Enjoy delicious Sakkarai pongal!! (You can never go wrong with this recipe).

Puran Poli is usually made for Bhogi (first day of Pongal)- Do check out my easy step by step recipe of Puran Poli with pictures.

Do check out  Ven Pongal Recipe with step wise pictures.


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