Sweet Pongal Recipe

sweet pongal

This is a South Indian pongal recipe which is rice and lentil dessert made on the festive occasion of Pongal. This is sweet pongal recipe with jaggery, also known as chakra pongal or chakkara pongal. Some recipes use sugar in place of jaggery, then it is known as 'Sakkarai Pongal' as sugar is known as sakkarai in Tamil. Sweet pongal is more popular in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh of South India.

Recipe of sweet pongal

1 1/2 cup rice

1/2 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

2 1/2 cup milk

2 cups gur (jaggery)

1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)

2 tbsp raisins (kishmish)

2 tbsp cashew nuts (kaju)

1/2 tsp elaichi (small cardamom) powder

1. Wash rice, drain and soak rice for 1/2 an hour. Roast moong dal in a kadhai or a pan till light brown.

2. Break jaggery into small pieces and set aside.

3. Boil milk with 1 cup water in a heavy bottomed vessel like kadhai/wok.

4. Wash rice and moong dal, drain. Add to the boiled milk. Let it again come to a boil. Reduce heat and cook till rice and dal cook completely, mixing continuously. It will take around 15 minutes or so.

5. Add jaggery pieces and cook mixing so that jaggery doesn't stick to the vessel. When gur melts completely, add half of the ghee and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring.

6. Heat remaining half of the ghee and roast raisins and cashews. Add this to the pongal.

7. Add elaichi powder and mix well. Serve sweet pongal warm.