Make this sweet Sakkarai Pongal or Chakkara Pongal for the festival of Sankranti. It’s easy to make and can be done in a pressure cooker. Use this Iyengar style recipe to make Sakkarai pongal in an authentic way for your Sankranti or Pongal celebrations.
Pongal is a festival celebrated in South Indian as a festival of harvest. In North India, it is celebrated as Makar Sankranti.
On this day, a variety of special food is made and Sakkarai Pongal or sweet pongal is the most common in South India just as Crispy Til Chikki is made North India.
Pongal can be made either sweet or savory. I ate Sakkarai Pongal at one of my friends place in Bangalore and quite liked it.
I asked her for the recipe and she very happily shared it with me. Made it according to her recipe and it came out exactly like her.
Sakkarai Pongal or Chakkara Pongal is prepared by using short grain rice, moong dal and jaggery which are considered to be healthy ingredients to be consumed during winter.
You can replace jaggery with sugar but traditional way of cooking it used only jaggery.
This dish along with Ven Pongal is prepared for the festival of Pongal and is served on banana leaf along with other preparations.
To make Sakkarai Pongal in temple style, do add a tiny pinch of edible camphor while cooking it.
You can replace the rice in this recipe with foxtail millet and make Thinai Sakkarai Pongal or even brown rice or Aval (Poha) can be used in place of white rice.
Here is the recipe to make Iyengar style Sakkarai Pongal at home:
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How to make Sakkarai Pogal Step by Step
Wash the rice and keep aside. Add 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure pan.
Add the moong dal and fry till slightly browned.
Now add 3 cups of water and washed rice. Cook till the rice and dal is done. ( I cooked for 1 whistle on heat heat and then reduced the heat on low and cooked for 2 more whistles ). Meanwhile, add jaggery and 1 cup water in a pan.
Cook till jaggery is dissolved and the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Strain the mixture.
When the dal and rice is done, open the pressure pan. Add the jaggery mixture, cardamom, cloves and camphor. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the remaining ghee in a pan and heat.
Fry the cashew nuts till they are browned. Add them in the pongal. Fry the raisins till they swell up. Add the raisins and the ghee in the pongal. Mix well. Serve hot.
Sakkarai Pongal Recipe
Sakkarai Pongal
Sakkarai Pongal is a sweet version of Pongal made specially for the festival of Sankranti.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Short Grain Rice I used Sona Masuri
- 3 tbsp Dhuli Moong Dal
- 3/4 cup Jaggery Crushed
- 4 cups Water
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- 12-15 Raisins
- 8-10 cashew Nuts
- 2 Cardamom Crushed
- 2 Cloves Crushed
- 1 pinch Edible Camphor Optional
Instructions
Wash the rice and keep aside.
Add 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure pan.
Add the moong dal and fry till slightly browned.
Now add 3 cups of water and washed rice.
Cook till the rice and dal is done. ( I cooked for 1 whistle on heat heat and then reduced the heat on low and cooked for 2 more whistles ).
Meanwhile, add jaggery and 1 cup water in a pan.
Cook till jaggery is dissolved and the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
Strain the mixture.
When the dal and rice is done, open the pressure pan.
Add the jaggery mixture, cardamom, cloves and camphor.
Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the remaining ghee in a pan and heat.
Fry the cashew nuts till they are browned.
Add them in the pongal.
Fry the raisins till they swell up.
Add the raisins and the ghee in the pongal.
Mix well.
Serve hot.
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