Sakkarai Pongal

In Tamil Nadu, people celebrate Pongal festival for four days. They prepare lots of vegetarian dishes with Sakkarai Pongal and ven Pongal. So I want to share the traditional recipe for Sakkarai Pongal for Pongal. I also posted a recipe for millet sweet Pongal. So friends, try this recipe and enjoy this Pongal with your family and friends. HAPPY PONGAL!

Sakkarai Pongal

Pongal is a harvest festival dedicated to the Sun God. Tamilians celebrate this function for four days. Basically, this festival is celebrated from January 13th to 16th of every year. In the Tamil language, the word Pongal means “Overflowing” signifying abundance and prosperity.

Traditionally, milk is cooked in a new clay pot. When it starts to bubble and overflows out of the pot, freshly harvested raw rice grains are added to the pot. At that time, the other family members blow the sanggu and shout “Pongalo Pongal”. Finally, they add jaggery, ghee, cardamom powder, ginger powder, fried cashews, and raisins. The Sakkarai Pongal is then served to the family, relatives and friends with sugarcane, Avial, Venpongal, ulundhu vadai and paruppu vadai.

Furthermore, I would like to share some of my suggestions for making tasty sakkarai pongal. Firstly, it is always prepared from jaggery which also makes it more flavorful, but if you don’t have jaggery, then you can also use brown sugar. Secondly, try to use raw rice ponni in this recipe. But if you don’t have it then you can add sona masoori rice. Also, make sure that the rice and dal are cooked well before jaggery syrup is added to it, otherwise, the syrup will prevent further cooking of rice and dal. Finally, Vegans can add coconut milk and coconut oil instead of milk and ghee.

Sakkarai Pongal 2017-01-09 05:53:05

Serves 2    In Tamil Nadu people celebrate Pongal festival for four days. This is also called as Harvesting festival,Thanks Giving festival or Tamilar Thiruvizha. They prepare lots of vegetarian dishes with sweet pongal and ven pongal. So I want to share traditional recipe for sweet pongal for Pongal. I also posted a recipe for millet sweet pongal. So friends, try this recipe and enjoy this Pongal with your family and friends. HAPPY PONGAL!                             Print        Prep Time   00:05        Cook Time   00:30        Total Time   00:35

Prep Time   00:05        Cook Time   00:30        Total Time   00:35                      Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup raw rice
2. 1/4 cup or 3 tbsp moong dal / pasi paruppu
3. 1 tsp ghee
4. 1 cup jaggery
5. 3 tbsp ghee
6. pinch of salt (optional)
7. 6 cashews
8. 1 tbsp raisins
9. 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
10. 1/4 tsp ginger powder
11. 1 cup milk          How to cook rice and dal
12. Wash the rice and dal together a couple of times with water and drain very well and keep it aside in a separate bowl.
13. Meanwhile, heat a pressure pan or a cooker with 1 tsp of ghee over medium heat.
14. When the ghee melts, roast the rice and dal until a nice aroma comes. No need to brown them.
15. Then add 1 & 1/2 cups of water, salt and 1 cup of milk.
16. Pressure cook for 4 whistles or until fully cooked, then switch off the heat.
17. When the pressure released, open the lid and mash it well.          For Sugar Syrup
18. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup of water in a pan and add powdered jaggery to it.
19. When it dissolves, filter it to remove impurities.
20. Then pour this syrup in a wide pan over medium heat, bring it to boil until it becomes a slightly thick syrup. It takes 2 to 3 mins only.          For Sakkarai Pongal
21. Pour this jaggery syrup to the mashed rice dal mixture and mix well until combined, over low heat.
22. Finally, add the cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and 2 tbsp of ghee, mix well and cook for about 5 mins.          For Topping
23. Heat a small pan with 1 tbsp of ghee, fry cashews until they turn in to a golden brown and add raisins to it, once it fluffs up, pour it over the Pongal.
24. Now the Sweet Sakkarai Pongal is ready to eat.         By Santhi therese    The Indian Claypot https://theindianclaypot.com/

Wash the rice and dal together with
a couple of times with water and drain very
well and keep it aside in a separate bowl.

Meanwhile, heat a pan with 1 tsp of
ghee over medium heat.

When the ghee melts, roast the rice
and dal until a nice aroma comes.
No need to brown them.

In a cooker, add 1 & 1/2 cups of water,
salt and 1 cup of milk.

When the milk starts to boil, add the
roasted rice and dal mixture

Pressure cook for 4 whistles or until
fully cooked, then switch off the heat.

Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup of water in
a pan and add powdered jaggery to it.

When it dissolves, filter it to remove impurities.

Then pour this syrup into a wide pan,
over medium heat, bring it to boil
until it becomes a slightly thick syrup.
It takes 2 to 3 mins only.

When the pressure released,
open the lid and mash it well.

Pour the jaggery syrup into the
mashed rice dal mixture and mix well
until combined, over low heat.

Finally, add the cardamom powder,
dry ginger powder

and 2 tbsp of ghee,
mix well and cook for about 5 mins.

Heat a small pan with 1 tbsp of ghee,
fry cashews until they turn in to a
golden brown and add raisins to it,
once it fluffs up,

pour it over the Pongal.

Now the Sweet Sakkarai Pongal is ready to eat.

Sakkarai Pongal

Serves 1
Prep Time: 00:05
Cook Time: 00:30
Total Time: 00:35

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1/4 cup or 3 tbsp moong dal / pasi paruppu
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1 cup jaggery
• 3 tbsp ghee
• pinch salt (optional)
• 6 cashews
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

• Wash the rice and dal together a couple of times with water and drain very well and keep it aside in a separate bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat a pressure pan or a cooker with 1 tsp of ghee over medium heat.
• When the ghee melts, roast the rice and dal until a nice aroma comes. No need to brown them.
• Then add 1 & 1/2 cups of water, salt and 1 cup of milk.
• Pressure cook for 4 whistles or until fully cooked, then switch off the heat.
• When the pressure released, open the lid and mash it well.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup of water in a pan and add powdered jaggery to it.
• When it dissolves, filter it to remove impurities.
• Then pour this syrup in a wide pan over medium heat, bring it to boil until it becomes a slightly thick syrup. It takes 2 to 3 mins only.
• Pour this jaggery syrup to the mashed rice dal mixture and mix well until combined, over low heat.
• Finally, add the cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and 2 tbsp of ghee, mix well and cook for about 5 mins.
• Heat a small pan with 1 tbsp of ghee, fry cashews until they turn in to a golden brown and add raisins to it, once it fluffs up, pour it over the Pongal.
• Now the Sweet Sakkarai Pongal is ready to eat.

By Santhi therese
The Indian Claypot