Sakkarai Pongal

In Tamil Nadu, Pongal festival is a four-day-long celebration that begins on January 13th and ends on the 16th. The festival is dedicated to the Sun God and is known for its traditional vegetarian dishes, including Sakkarai Pongal and Ven Pongal. Today, I'm excited to share with you the traditional recipe for Sakkarai Pongal, a sweet rice pudding, perfect for this occasion. Try this recipe at home and enjoy Pongal with your loved ones. Happy Pongal!

To prepare Sakkarai Pongal, milk is traditionally cooked in a new clay pot until it starts to bubble and overflow. Freshly harvested raw rice grains are then added to the pot along with other ingredients such as jaggery, ghee, cardamom powder, ginger powder, fried cashews, and raisins. Once cooked, the pudding is served with sugarcane, Avial, Venpongal, ulundhu vadai and paruppu vadai.

Here are some tips to help you make the perfect Sakkarai Pongal: Firstly, use jaggery instead of brown sugar for better flavor. Secondly, use raw rice ponni or sona masoori rice for best results. Ensure that the rice and dal are cooked well before adding the jaggery syrup to prevent further cooking. Lastly, if you're vegan, you can substitute coconut milk and oil for milk and ghee. So, give this recipe a try and enjoy a delicious and traditional Pongal with your loved ones!

I also posted a recipe for millet sweet Pongal, Avial, Venpongal, ulundhu vadai and paruppu vadai.

Sakkarai Pongal 2017-01-09 05:53:05

Sakkarai Pongal

Serves 2
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

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