Sakkarai Pongal
Rice and moong dal cooked soft and sweetened with jaggery, ghee-roasted cashews and cardamom, the festive sweet counterpart to ven pongal made across Tamil homes and temples.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 5
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 310 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy pot
- •Tempering pan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- fat
- 10 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 6 g
- calories
- 310 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Lightly toast the moong dal in a dry pan. Wash it together with the rice.
- 2
Pressure cook the rice and dal with water and milk for 4-5 whistles until very soft and mushy.
- 3
Melt jaggery (unrefined sugar) with a little water in a pan and strain it. Simmer into a thick syrup.
- 4
Lightly mash the cooked rice and dal. Pour in the jaggery syrup and mix thoroughly.
- 5
Cook the mixture on low heat while stirring. Stop when it thickens into a soft, smooth pudding.
- 6
Heat ghee (clarified butter) in a small pan. Fry the cashews and raisins until golden and plump.
- 7
Stir in the cardamom powder. Add the fried cashews, raisins, and remaining ghee.
- 8
Add a pinch of edible camphor if using. Mix once and serve warm.
Chef's tips
Always add jaggery after the rice and dal are fully cooked, as sugar stops hard grains from softening. Plenty of ghee gives the dish its rich, glossy finish.
Ingredient substitutions
- jaggery → palm sugar
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat with a splash of milk and extra ghee on the stovetop.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding jaggery before the rice is fully cooked, which leaves the grains hard
- •Using too little ghee, which makes the pongal dry and dull
Serving suggestions
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