Sakkarai pongal recipe or sweet pongal recipe: we don’t celebrate pongal festival back in Kerala. This should explain why I am posting this traditional pongal festival recipe in March. I mean, how off the mark can you get? About 2 months, that’s how much.
But like I said, we don’t celebrate pongal, and by that I mean my family. TH’s family definitely does, but nothing elaborate. Mostly it involves making ven pongal the savory kind and this sweet version, sakkarai pongal.
My mom makes sweet pongal as and when she feels like it. Usually, when we need a quick dessert for guests, sakkarai pongal gets made. Admittedly, its not my favourite sweet but recently I had this tremendous craving that was quite inexplicable so I made a teeny weeny bit (TH hates it) and had it all by myself at around 10pm in the night, which explains the very not-nice picture.
It came out pretty nice though. I’d never realised sakkarai pongal was this easy to make!
Sakkarai Pongal Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw rice
- 1/4 cup moong dal paasi paruppu
- 3/4 cup grated jaggery adjust to taste
- 1 cup full fat milk + 1/2 cup water or 1.5 cups low fat milk
- A few cashew nuts I used almonds
- A few raisins
- 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp ghee
- 3 cardamom pods crushed well
Instructions
- Traditionally, sakkarai pongal is made by simmering the rice and dal in the milk until soft but who has that kind of time these days? Definitely not me. So bring out your pressure cooker.
- Wash the rice and dal together.
- Add the milk + water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles or 15 minutes. We want the rice + dal to turn nice and mushy.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp ghee and roast the cashew nuts (or almonds) and the raisins until golden brown (the raisins will become plump).
- Remove from fire and sprinkle cardamom powde on top. Give it a mix and set aside.
- Once the pressure leaves the cooker, open gently and while the rice and dal mixture is still hot, mix in the grated jaggery, roasted nuts, and raisins.
- If the pongal is too thick at this stage, add some boiled milk by the tablespoons.
- If the mixture is too loose, keep on a low fire and mix continuously until desired consistency is achieved.
- Mix in one more tbsp of ghee and serve warm. I also like it cold from the fridge the next day.
Note:
You can add some grated coconut to the pongal along with the jaggery if you’d like some bite to the sakkarai pongal.
For Sakkarai Pongal recipe in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, etc please use the Google Translate button in the sidebar.
Goodness, really looks sweet and delicious!
I have never even heard of Pongal before. I will definitely be trying out this recipe to see how it turns out.
I love this and unfortunately I'm the only one in my family who likes this..Maybe I should make it like you and have the entire portion myself..lol..
This is our family favorite and we could probably have it anytime. Liked your version.
WOO! looks yumm and tempting.
Rava kesari is my late night sweet craving remedy. This one also sounds doable late night! thanks 🙂
Aaah! that looks good Nags! Judging from the ingredient list, I think it must be the perfect balance of sweet and spice, just like Halwa:)
will love to try this!:)I think adding coconut would be a great idea!
btw, you missed nutmeg in the ingredient list:) (Yes, I did read the recipe:)D)
Ok – that must be some heavy load craving! I crave for kesari this way and make it in the middle of the night!
My hubby loves and would dig in the whole pan of chakkari pongal – I was like you too – did not like it when I was growing up – but there is a lot of comfort in this and I enjoy it now!
love chakkara pongal.. my mom makes this for pongal and adds so much of ghee that you literally see it glistening…I have had this as a meal by itself so many times… and I love the darker shade that you have… I never get it when I use the jaggery that I get here in U.S 🙂
Mansi, thanks for reading the recipe 😀 I didn't see nutmeg in the scribble scrap I had the recipe on. Either amma forgot to mention it or maybe she doesn't add it. You are right though, I later saw that ingredient in almost all the chakkarai pongal recipes I saw online. So i have added it as an optional ingredient, although I didn't add it.
Thanks for pointing it out 🙂