Sakkarai Pongal is a delicious south Indian festival dish prepared with Raw Rice, Jaggery, and Moong Dal Flavoured with ghee and cardamom.
Sharing today the star of the Pongal festival. Yes, it is Sakkari Pongal. Though we do many variations in the Pongal on the Pongal day sakkarai Pongal is been prepared irrespective of the regions in India. We celebrate Pongal with different names in different states in India.. It is Sankranti in Karnataka and AP and as Lohri is other northern states. So ultimately is it one of the important festivals in India.
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What is Pongal
Pongal is the harvest festival in India. We celebrate Pongal with different names in different regions of India. The most important dish of the festival is Pongal. We prepare both the sweet and savory versions.
We serve the sweet version of Pongal as a dessert and the savory version of Pongal as a breakfast.
How to Prepare Sweet Pongal
Measured Moong dal and Raw Rice are cooked until mushy in a cooker or open pot. It is then sweetened with Jaggery syrup. Also flavored with cardamom and edible camphor. Finally, we add ghee roasted nuts.
Prep work for Pongal
- Keep all the ingredients ready before you cook.
- You can dry roast the moong dal before you cook.
- You can also prepare the Jaggery syrup the previous day. If this is done, Making Pongal will be a breeze.
Variations in Chakkara Pongal
Traditionally we use Jaggery to sweeten the Pongal, We can replace Jaggery with Palm Jaggery.
We can use Milk to cook for a richer version.
Similar Recipes:
Serving Suggestions:
Chakkara Pongal is traditionally prepared to serve God as Neivaidhiyam. Always serve hot for the best taste.
How to Prepare Sakkarai Pongal, Pictorial:
1. In a pan dry roast the moong dal until a nice aroma comes. Wash the rice well and in a pressure cooker add in the moong dal and raw rice along with 3 cups water and pressure cook for about 5 whistles.
2. Wait till the pressure gets released all by itself and then with a ladle mash the cooked rice and moong dal together and set aside.
3. In another vessel add in the grated jaggery and fill it will water such the jaggery immerse and then wait till all the jaggery melts and then filter the jaggery as it may contain impurities and then add it to the mashed rice and moong dal in the pressure cooker.
4. Mix well and in another pan add in ghee and fry the cashew nuts and raisins add it to the Pongal .Heat the Pongal for another 5 mins in a low flame and mix everything together.
5. Add in the edible camphor and Cardamom powder and mix well.
6.If the Pongal gets dry ,add few tbsp. of milk and finally drizzle some ghee over the Pongal and switch off the flame. Serve hot.
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📖 Recipe
Sakkarai pongal ( Chakkara pongal )
Standard 1 cup measures 240 ml
Ingredients
- ½ cup Raw rice
- 3 tbsp Moong Dal
- ¾ cup Jaggery heaped
- Edible Camphor a big mustard size
- 4 Cashew nuts
- 5 Raisins
- 3 cup Water plus added needed water
- 2 tbsp Ghee
Instructions
- In a pan dry roast the moong dal until a nice aroma comes. Wash the rice well and in a pressure cooker add in the moong dal and raw rice along with 3cups water and pressure cook for about 5 whistles.
- Wait till the pressure gets released all by itself and then with a ladle mash the cooked rice and moong dal together and set aside.
- In another vessel add in the grated jaggery and fill it will water such the jaggery immerse and then wait till all the jaggery melts and then filter the jaggery as it may contain impurities and then add it to the mashed rice and moong dal in the pressure cooker.
- Mix well and in another pan add in ghee and fry the cashew nuts and raisins add it to the Pongal. Heat the Pongal for another 5 mins on a low flame and mix everything together.
- Add in the edible camphor and Cardamom powder and mix well.
- If the Pongal gets dry ,try to add few tbsp. of milk and finally drizzle some ghee over the Pongal and switch off the flame. Serve hot.
Notes
- Tastes best when served hot.
- The Pongal tends to get thick once it cools down so switch off the flame accordingly if needed add milk so that it doesn’t get very dry.
- The same Pongal can be prepared in an open pot too instead of the pressure cooker. In that case, more water is required about 3 cups approximately.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist , the nutrition value provided here is an estimate.It will vary based on the quantity and brands of the products used.
Note: This post is originally from 2017. I have now updated with a new Recipe card, Instructions, and Pictures.
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