Sweet Pongal | Sakkarai Pongal

Sweet Pongal alias Sakkarai Pongal is a divine traditional sweet recipe of South India. It is served as a prasadam in many temples.  This simple sweet is prepared by  adding Jaggery syrup to cooked rice and mung dal.  Ghee roasted cashews and raisins  are added to give more flavour and taste. My mom prepares pongal in Pongal Pot ( Pongal Paanai).  I have prepared sweet pongal in pressure cooker. Please check below for step by step instructions and pictures for preparing South Indian traditional sweet Sweet Pongal | Sakkarai Pongal.


Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Yields: 3 Servings

Ingredients:

Mung dal | Paasi paruppu	1/4 Cup
Sona Masoori Rice	1/4 Cup
Jaggery	1/2 Cup
Cardamom powder	pinch
Ghee	2 tsp
Cashews	10
Raisins	10

Instructions:

• Wash and soak mung dal and rice for 15 mins. Pressure cook yellow mung dal and rice to 4 whistles by adding enough water. Mash well using potato masher or ladle and keep it ready.

• Prepare the Jaggery syrup by cooking jaggery in 1/2 cup of water. Strain the syrup to remove impurities. Allow the syrup to boil. When the syrup boils, add cardamom powder and remove from stove.

• Place the cooker containing cooked mung dal and rice on stove in low flame. Add jaggery syrup and cook for 5 mins in low flame. Heat Ghee in a pan. Add cashews and fry. when cashews starts to turn golden colour, add raisins. Fry for 20 -30 secs till raisins become fluffy.  Add the roasted cashews and raisins to the pongal.

Sweet Pongal | Sakkarai Pongal

Tips:
Edible camphor and nutmeg powder can be added to the pongal.
Pongal thickens after cooling, so prepare accordingly. If it gets thicken, add ghee and hot milk before serving.
Colour of pongal depends on the jaggery used.
Hot Milk can also be added along with Jaggery syrup to give more taste. 
I have used equal quantity of rice and dal  which gives more taste to the recipe. The dal quantity can be decreased to half of the rice quantity also.