Sakkarai Pongal: Pongal Special Recipe

Pongal is a festival celebrated in South India 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 Pongal is the most common. It can be made either sweet or savory. I ate this sweet pongal at one of my friends place and liked it.

I asked her for the recipe and she very happily shared it with me. I made it according to her recipe and it came out exactly like her.

Serves: 3
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• Short grain rice- ½ cup (I used Sona masuri rice)
• Moong dal/Split green gram- 3tbsp
• Jaggery- ¾ cup (Grated)
• Water- 4 cups
• Ghee- 3tbsp
• Raisins- 12-15
• Cashewnuts- 8-10
• Cardamom- 2 (crushed)
• Cloves- 2 (crushed)
• Edible camphor- a tiny pinch (optional)

Procedure

1. Wash the rice and keep aside.
2. Add 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure pan. Add the moong dal and fry till slightly browned.
3. Add 3 cups of water and washed rice.
4. 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 )
5. Meanwhile, add jaggery and 1 cup water in a pan.
6. Cook till jaggery is dissolved and the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
7. Strain the mixture. When the dal and rice is done, open the pressure pan.
8. Add the jaggery mixture, cardamom, cloves and camphor.
9. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
10. Add the remaining ghee in a pan and heat.
11. Fry the cashew nuts till they are browned.
12. Add them in the pongal.
13. Fry the raisins till they swell up.
14. Add the raisins and the ghee in the pongal. Mix well.
15. Serve hot.