How to make Sweet Pongal recipe ?
Sweet Pongal, also known as Sakkarai Pongal, is a traditional South Indian dessert made with rice, moong dal, jaggery, and ghee, flavored with cardamom and garnished with roasted cashews and raisins. This creamy, aromatic dish is a festive favorite, often prepared during the Pongal harvest festival to symbolize gratitude and prosperity. With its perfect balance of sweetness, richness, and warm spices, Sweet Pongal is a comforting treat that delights the senses. Ideal for celebrations or as a cozy indulgence, it can be customized with variations like millets, coconut milk, or vegan alternatives.
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Cooking pot
- Kadai
Ingredients
- 100 g Raw rice or short grain rice as you like
- 50 g Moong dal
- 15 Ghee For roasting the dal
- 600 ml Water
- 250 g Jaggery Or Brown sugar
- 50 g Ghee
- 25 g Cashews
- 5 g Green cardamom
- 25 g Raisins
- 50 ml Milk optional
- 1 g Edible camphor or pachai karpooram optional
- 50 g Grated coconut
Instructions
In pressure cooker
- Rinse the rice and moong dal together under running water until the water runs clear. Set aside to drain.
- In a pressure cooker, add ghee and once heated up add crushed green cardamom and soaked moong dal and rice and sauté in ghee for one minute.
- Then add the required water as mentioned and close the lid and let it whistle for 3-4 times in a medium heat.
- In the mean time, in a separate kadai, add the crushed jaggery and little 25 ml water and let it melt completely.
- Chef's tip: Add a pinch of tumeric powder in jaggery and it will give nice golden look on the end product.
- There is no any consistency checks just let the jaggery dissolve and Strain the syrup to remove impurities, if any, and set it aside.
- Open the pressure cooker and mash the cooked rice and dal mixture gently with a ladle.
- Add the jaggery syrup to the mixture and mix well. Simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. In this stage if you want to add milk, you can add and let it simmer.
- Heat ghee in a small pan, and roast the cashews until golden. Add raisins and sauté until they puff up. Add the grated coconut separately in ghee and roast till golden brown and add.
- Add the roasted nuts, edible camphor (optional) to the Pongal. Mix well.
In cooking pot
- Rinse the rice and moong dal together under running water until the water runs clear. Set aside to drain.
- In a cooking pot, add ghee and rinsed rice and al and sauté for 1 minute in medium heat.
- Add the required water and stir occasionally and keep in medium heat. Once the rice is mashed and cooked nicely that is more than well done.
- In the mean time, in a separate kadai, add the crushed jaggery and little 25 ml water and let it melt completely. There is no any consistency checks just let the jaggery dissolve and Strain the syrup to remove impurities, if any, and set it aside.
- Add crushed cardamom or cardamom powder, brown sugar or jaggery syrup as mentioned before. you can also add milk.
- Stir in low heat for 5-10 minutes and allowing the flavors to meld.
- Heat ghee in a small pan, and roast the cashews until golden. Add raisins and sauté until they puff up. Add the grated coconut separately in ghee and roast till golden brown and add.
- Add the roasted nuts, tossed grated coconut, edible camphor (optional). Mix thoroughly.
Notes
- Roast moong dal and nuts in ghee for extra flavor.
- Add a touch of vanilla extract or nutmeg for a flavor twist.
- If it thickens, add a little water or milk to adjust consistency.
- You can also directly add the freshly grated coconut, the reason to roast is it gives more flavor and to keep for longer time without spoiling.