Sakkarai Pongal (Sweet Pongal)
A sweet and fragrant rice and lentil pudding, Sakkarai Pongal is a quintessential dish prepared during the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu as an offering to the gods.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw rice
- 1/4 cup Moong dal (split yellow gram)
- 1.5 cups Jaggery, powdered
- 4 tbsp Ghee
- 10-12 Cashews
- 1 tbsp Raisins
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
- A pinch of edible camphor (optional)
Instructions
- Dry roast the moong dal until it becomes aromatic.
- In a pressure cooker, combine the roasted moong dal and rice. Add 4 cups of water and cook for 4-5 whistles until it's soft and mushy.
- In a separate pan, melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water to make a syrup. Strain it to remove impurities.
- Add the jaggery syrup to the cooked rice-dal mixture. Mix well, ensuring there are no lumps.
- Cook on a low flame for 5-7 minutes, stirring continuously, until the pongal thickens.
- In a small pan, heat the ghee. Fry the cashews until golden, then add raisins and fry until they plump up.
- Pour the ghee with the nuts and raisins over the pongal. Add the cardamom powder and edible camphor (if using).
- Mix everything well and serve hot.