Sakkarai Pongal Recipe (Chakkara Pongal)

Sakkarai Pongal is a traditional South Indian sweet dish made with raw rice, moong dal, jaggery, ghee, and aromatic spices. It is made especially for Thai Pongal, the harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, but it is also prepared as a temple offering (prasadam) and on auspicious occasions.

You can make it in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. I made it in my 3-quart instant pot (or 3-liter pressure cooker). If you want to double or triple the recipe, use a bigger Instant Pot or pressure cooker. The cooking time will remain the same.

For 12 years after I got married, Bangalore was our base. Due to Mohit’s job, we would travel to a new country, spend some time there, return to Bangalore, stay for 2-3 months, and then relocate to another country.

We also had a full setup at home in Bangalore, and Bhavye and I would often come in between. We had also made many friends during this time. Many of them were South Indian.

I once was in Bangalore during Sankranti (harvest festival), and one of our neighbors called us home. They had made a huge spread for the festival. There was ven pongal, curd rice, vada, sambar, tomato rasam, potato roast, and many other items. For the sweet, they made this Sakkarai pongal.

It was a delicious treat and different from the North Indian sweets I was used to having.

I was told that each household has its own recipe for this dish. The base ingredients remain the same, but the ratios change here and there. In this post, I am sharing the recipe I learned from my neighbor.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Making Sweet Pongal

It took me a few attempts to perfect this recipe. The ratio of rice to dal, the perfect amount of water and ghee, and the cooking techniques made a huge difference in the final outcome. I am listing the common mistakes you should avoid when making this sweet pongal.

Mistake	Why It’s a Problem	How to Fix It
Using basmati rice	Grains stay separate, and pongal tastes like sweet pulao	Use short grain rice (Sona Masuri or Ponni), preferably new rice not aged
Undercooking rice & dal	Grainy, dry texture	Cook till very soft and mushy
Adding jaggery directly	Jaggery has impurities which can make the pogal gritty	Melt jaggery with water and strain
Overcooking jaggery syrup	Syrup thickens too much, and Pongal hardens on cooling	Cook only till the jaggery melts fully
Making Pongal thick while cooking	Pongal thickens as it cools and becomes a hard, sticky mass	Keep it slightly loose when hot
Skipping or reducing ghee	Ghee builds flavor and texture. If not used adequately, the pongal will have a flat taste and a dry mouthfeel	Add ghee generously, as mentioned in the recipe

How To Make Sweet Pongal

Cook The Rice And Lentils

In An Instant Pot

Step 1: Wash ½ cup short-grain rice 2-3 times with water. Drain and set aside.

Step 2: Wash 3 tablespoons of yellow moong dal and 1 teaspoon of chana dal a few times with water. Drain as much water as possible.

Tip: To remove excess water, spread the lentils on a kitchen towel for 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Press the SAUTE button on the Instant Pot.

Step 4: Transfer the lentils to the instant pot and dry-roast until lightly browned (5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.

Step 5: Now, add the rinsed rice to the cooker.

Step 6: Add 3 cups of water and stir until well combined.

Step 7: Close the cooker’s lid and set the valve to the sealing position.

Step 8: Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 15 minutes.

Step 9: Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually.

Step 10: Open the lid and mash the cooked rice and lentils using a ladle or a wire whisk until creamy.

In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker

• Transfer the rinsed lentils to a stovetop pressure cooker and cook over medium heat until lightly browned (5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.
• Now, add the rinsed rice to the cooker.
• Add 3 and ½ cups of water and stir to combine.
• Cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and mash the cooked rice and lentils using a ladle or a wire whisk until creamy.

Make Jaggery Syrup

Step 11: While the rice and lentils are cooking, make jaggery syrup.

Add 1 and ½ cups of crushed jaggery and 1 cup of water to a saucepan.

Step 12: Cook over medium heat until the jaggery dissolves and the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir frequently while cooking.

Step 13: Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.

Make The Sakkarai Pongal

Step 14: Add the following ingredients to the cooker and mix well.

• jaggery mixture
• 2 crushed cardamom or 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 2 crushed cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg powder

Step 15: Add a pinch of edible camphor if desired.

Temper The Sweet Pongal

Step 16: Heat 4 tablespoon ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat.

Step 17: Once the ghee is hot, add 8-10 whole cashew nuts and fry until golden brown (1-2 minutes). 

Step 18: Add 12-15 raisins and fry until they plump up (5-6 seconds). Do not add raisins with the cashew nuts; otherwise, the raisins will burn before the cashew nuts turn brown.

Step 19: Pour the tempering over the pongal. Mix well and serve hot or at room temperature.

Variations

There are many variations of this sakkarai pongal recipe, as every household has its own unique way of preparing it.

Some South Indian homes add saffron-infused milk to their preparation, which gives it a delectable flavor. To make this version, replace half of the water with milk. Soak saffron in milk for 2-3 hours. Cook the rice and lentils in half the amount of water specified in the recipe. Once they are cooked, add saffron-infused milk and mix well. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

You can also experiment with adding grated carrots or pumpkin for a flavor and texture twist.

Jaggery can be replaced with granulated white sugar, brown sugar, palm sugar, or coconut sugar. The color of the pongal will depend on the color of the jaggery or the sweetener added.

Add 1 pinch of edible camphor for a temple-like taste.