Sakkarai Pongal is a delicious South Indian sweet dish made with rice, lentils, jaggery, ghee, and flavored with cardamom. Here’s a simple recipe for making Sakkarai Pongal:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw rice
- 1/4 cup split yellow moong dal (lentils)
- 1 cup jaggery (grated or chopped)
- 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
- A pinch of edible camphor (optional)
- 4 cups water
- A pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Wash the rice and lentils together under running water. In a pressure cooker, add the washed rice and lentils along with 4 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Pressure cook for about 3-4 whistles or until the rice and lentils are soft and cooked.
- While the rice and lentils are cooking, melt the jaggery in a separate pan with a little water to make a syrup. Once the jaggery is completely melted, strain the syrup to remove any impurities.
- Once the pressure is released from the cooker, mash the cooked rice and lentils well.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat ghee over medium heat. Add cashews and raisins and fry until the cashews turn golden brown and the raisins puff up. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the mashed rice and lentils mixture. Stir well.
- Add the jaggery syrup to the rice and lentils mixture and mix thoroughly. Keep stirring over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
- Add the fried cashews, raisins, cardamom powder, and edible camphor (if using) to the mixture. Mix well and continue to cook for a few more minutes until the Sakkarai Pongal reaches the desired consistency.
- Once the Pongal is ready, turn off the heat and serve it hot.
Sakkarai Pongal is often offered as prasadam (a religious offering) in temples during festivals and is also a popular dish prepared during the harvest festival of Pongal in South India. Enjoy this sweet and flavorful dish!
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