Sweet Pongal is also known as sakkarai Pongal or chakkara pongal. South Indian Pongal taste sweet and delicious with moong dal, rice, jaggery, and ghee.
South Indian Recipes:
South Indian recipes are more flavorful and delicious. Traditional South Indian recipes include a lot of health benefits. Rice and Millets are the staple food in South India.
Both rice and millets are gluten free foods though rice contains starch in it, it is healthy when it is take in portion control. Idli, dosa, vada, sambar and Pongal are traditional South Indian recipes.
Sweet Pongal is one such excellent recipe with goodness like moong dal, jaggery, ghee, coconut, cashew nuts, and raisins. Sweet Pongal is a traditional food that prepared in every South Indian households during the Pongal festival.
From kids to everyone loves this sweet Pongal. You can serve it as a dessert also.
Smart Cooking Tips:
- You can dry roast the moong dal separately. It helps to enhance the moong dal flavor.
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You can cook rice and moong dal using a sauce pan on the stove top instead of a pressure cooker until the rice and moong dal becomes soft.
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You can add milk in this sweet Pongal recipe for a rich flavor, 2 cups of water and half a cup of milk or 1.50 cups of water and 1 cup of milk.
- Adding sliced coconut is optional, but it gives a nice crunchy taste in the Pongal. If you are using frozen sliced coconut make sure to thaw it before adding it to the Pongal.
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Avoid boiling the jaggery to a thick consistency. Just melting the jaggery with a little amount of water is enough for the sweet pongal recipe.
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Avoid cooking the sweet Pongal after adding the jaggery syrup, the Pongal will become thick by itself once it cooled down. If the Pongal becomes more goey after adding jaggery syrup, then boil for 4 – 5 minutes over a medium flame until the Pongal reaches a desired thick consistency.
How to make jaggery syrup?
Jaggery is a concentrated product of cane juice without the separation of molasses and crystals. It is a popular sweetener used in much Indian cooking that has tremendous health benefits.
Jaggery adds a unique flavor and aroma to the dishes. Sweet Pongal is one such excellent recipe with jaggery; it gives a unique flavor and taste to this dish.
Making the jaggery syrup is an important step in this Pongal recipe. You can make jaggery syrup using a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave oven.
Jaggery Syrup – Stove Top Method:
- In a heavy bottom sauce pan add jaggery, little amount of water and cook over a medium heat until the jaggery melts down completely. If you are using big blocks of jaggery, slightly break it into small chunks using a wooden spatula carefully when it starts melting down. It helps to melt the jaggery quickly. Keep stirring in between to avoid burning the jaggery.
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Filter the jaggery syrup using a strainer or muslin cloth to take off the impurities and use it in the recipe calls for jaggery syrup.
Jaggery Syrup – Microwave Method:
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In a thick microwave safe glass bowl add jaggery, little amount of water and melt until the jaggery melts down completely. Take out the bowl from microwave oven at every 30 seconds interval and mix well. This process helps to avoid the jaggery getting burned.
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Filter the syrup using a muslin cloth or strainer and use it in the recipe calls for jaggery syrup.
Sweet Pongal is also known as sakkarai Pongal or chakkara pongal. South Indian Pongal taste sweet and delicious with moong dal, rice, jaggery, and ghee.
- 0.50 cup BASMATI RICE
- 0.50 cup YELLOW MOONG DAL
- 1 cup JAGGERY
- 2 no CARDAMOM
- 2.50 cup WATER
- 10 no CASHEW NUTS RAW
- 10 no RAISINS SEEDLESS
- 0.25 cup FINELY SLICED COCONUT PIECES
- 2 tbsp GHEE
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Wash the rice and moong dal together. In a pressure cooker add rice, moong dal and 2.50 cups of water and cook until two whistles. Allow the pressure cooker to cool naturally.
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In the mean time start preparing the jaggery syrup. In a microwave safe thick glass bowl add jaggery, little amount of water and cook until the jaggery melts down completely (take out the bowl from microwave oven at every 30 seconds interval and mix well).
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Filter the syrup using a muslin or cheese cloth or strainer and keep it ready.
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Heat ghee in a small skillet add cashew nuts, raisins, thinly sliced small pieces of coconut and cook until the cashew nuts color changes into golden brown and the raisins plump up.
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Once the pressure cooker cooled down, open the lid and add jaggery syrup, roasted cashew nuts, raisins and coconut along with ghee, crushed cardamoms and mix well. Enjoy sweet pongal warm or cold.
How to serve sweet Pongal?
Serve sweet Pongal warm or cold. You can store sweet Pongal in the refrigerator for up to 4 – 5 days.