Sakkarai Pongal (Chakkara Pongal)
on Jan 10, 2025, Updated Apr 01, 2025
Sakkarai Pongal (Chakkara Pongal) is a sweet South Indian traditional sweet porridge-like dish made using rice, lentils, and jaggery. Use my easy recipe to make it in a stovetop pressure or an instant pot.
If you like pongal, you can try these recipes: Rava Pongal, Ven Pongal.
For 12 years after I got married, Bangalore was our base. Because of Mohit’s job, we would go to a new country, spend some time there, return to Bangalore, stay for 2-3 months, and then return to another country.
We also had a full set-up 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 Banglore 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, 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.
About Sakkarai Pongal
Sakkarai Pongal (Chakkara Pongal, Sweet Pongal, Chakkarai Pongal) is a sweet dish made with rice, lentils, and jaggery. It is a South Indian (Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) specialty made for auspicious occasions as an offering to the god. It is also made for special occasions and festivals.
In South India, sweet pongal is a must-make dish for the festival of Makar Sankranti (Pongal Festival), which celebrates abundance and prosperity after the harvest. It is offered to the sun god for providing us with food.
Temples all over South India also serve sakkarai pongal as naivedhyam (prashad). They add a pinch of edible camphor to it, which gives it a unique taste.
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.
Ingredients
All the ingredients to make this recipe are easily available in Indian grocery stores. Some of them can also be sourced from online portals like Amazon.
Rice and Lentils – Sakkarai pongal is prepared with short-grain, white raw rice and yellow moong dal (split and skinned petite yellow lentils). New rice is used to make traditional sakkarai pongal as it makes it melt in your mouth.
I use Sona Masuri rice to make this dish. You can use any short-grain white rice that is easily available. Seeraga Samba, Indrayani, Ambemohar, etc., are some examples.
Jaggery is melted in water, and the syrup is added to add sweetness to Pongal.
Try to use organic jaggery. It is dark brown and is free of chemicals. The jaggery that is light in color has chemicals added to it to lighten its color.
Ghee is used to temper this sweet jaggery rice. It adds a rich taste and makes this dish even more flavorful.
Nuts – For the tempering, I have added cashew nuts and raisins. But if you like, you can also add almonds and pistachios.
Whole Spices add a nice aroma and flavor, so do not miss them. I have used green cardamoms (hari elaichi) and cloves (laung) in this recipe. You can also use cardamom powder in place of the whole pod.
Edible Camphor – To give sakkarai pongal a temple prasadam-like taste, add a pinch of edible camphor once the dish is cooked.
How To Make Sweet Pongal
Cook The Rice And Lentils
In An Instant Pot
Wash ½ cup short grain rice 2-3 times with water. Drain and set aside.
Wash 3 tablespoon yellow moong dal and 1 teaspoon chana dal a few times with water. Drain the water as much as you can.
Tip: To eliminate the excess water, spread the lentils on a kitchen cloth for 10-15 minutes.
Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot.
Transfer the lentils to the instant pot and dry roast until they are lightly browned (5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.
Now, add the rinsed rice to the cooker.
Add 3 cups of water and stir to combine.
Close the cooker’s lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 15 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually.
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 roast on medium heat until they are 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 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
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.
Cook on medium heat until jaggery is dissolved and the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir frequently while cooking.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.
Make The Pongal
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
Add a pinch of edible camphor if you wish to.
Temper The Sweet Pongal
Heat 4 tablespoon ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat.
Once the ghee is hot, add 8-10 whole cashew nuts and fry until golden brown (1-2 minutes).
Add 12-15 raisins and fry until they plump up (5-6 seconds).
Pour the tempering over the pongal. Mix well and serve hot or at room temperature.
Pro Tips By Neha
Do not reduce the quantity of ghee otherwise, the pongal will taste pasty.
Increase the quantity of cardamoms if you like the taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make it vegan, replace ghee with coconut oil.
Yes, you can replace rice with millet, such as finger millet, little millet, or barnyard millet.
You can also use quinoa in place of rice.
Add grated fresh coconut to the ready pongal and mix well. You can also add coconut to the tempering and fry until lightly browned. Then, add it to the pongal. Some people also add coconut milk to their recipes.
Variations
There are many versions of this sakkarai pongal recipe, as every home has its way of making it.
Some South Indian homes add saffron mixed with milk to their preparation, which gives it a delectable flavor.
You can replace half of the water with milk. Cook the rice and lentils in half the quantity of water as mentioned in the recipe. Once they are cooked, add milk and mix well. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
You can also experiment with adding grated carrots or pumpkin for a twist in flavor and texture.
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.
Storage Suggestions
This dish tastes best when served right off the pan, as it thickens with time. However, if you have leftover sweet Pongal, store it in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Reheat in a pan or microwave until hot before serving. If the pongal has thickened a lot, then add some hot while reheating.
I do not recommend it, as its texture will not be great once thawed.
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Sakkarai Pongal Recipe (Chakkara Pongal, Sweet Pongal)
Ingredients
To Cook Rice And Lentils
- ½ cup short grain white rice (I used Sona Masuri )
- 3 tablespoons yellow moong dal (skinned petite yellow lentils)
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
For The Jaggery Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 and ½ cups crushed jaggery
For The Pongal
- 2 whole green cardamoms (crushed, or 1 teaspoon cardamom powder)
- 2 cloves (crushed)
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg powder
For The Tempering
- 4 tablespoons ghee
- 8-10 whole cashew nuts
- 12-15 raisins
Instructions
Cook The Rice And Lentils
In An Instant Pot
- Wash rice 2-3 times with water. Drain and set aside.
- Wash yellow moong dal and chana dal a few times with water. Drain the water as much as you can.
- Tip – To remove the excess water, spread the lentils on a kitchen cloth for 10-15 minutes.
- Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot.
- Transfer the lentils to the instant pot and roast until they are lightly browned (5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Now, add the rinsed rice to the cooker.
- Add 3 cups of water and stir to combine.
- Close the lid of the cooker and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 15 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually.
- 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 roast on medium heat until they are 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 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
- While the rice and lentils are cooking, make jaggery syrup.
- Add jaggery and water to a saucepan.
- Cook on medium heat until jaggery is dissolved and the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir frequently while cooking.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.
Make The Pongal
- Add the jaggery mixture, cardamoms, cloves, and nutmeg powder to the cooker and mix well.
- Add a pinch of edible camphor if you wish to.
Temper The Sweet Pongal
- Heat ghee in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add 8-10 whole cashew nuts and fry until slightly browned (1-2 minutes).
- Add raisins and fry until they plump up (5-6 seconds).
- Pour the tempering over the pongal. Mix well and serve hot or at room temperature.
