Chakkara Pongal Recipe, Sweet Pongal Recipe Temple Style
Chakkara Pongal Recipe or Sweet Pongal Recipe or Sakkarai Pongal is one of the traditional South Indian Recipes made with moong dal, rice, jaggery, sugar and dry fruits.
As per the geographical location and culture, this is made in different styles and called with different names. Chakkara Pongal in Telugu and Sakkarai Pongal in Tamil, as per our tradition most of the time we make this recipe with jaggery and add a small portion of sugar.
Indians like to celebrate festivals and other special occasions with sweets. Sweet Pongal is offered as Naivedyam in many Indian temples during different festivals like Navratri, Diwali and Sankranti. You may also like to check other prasadam recipes like Ven Pongal, Coconut Rice and Lemon Rice.
In order to lift the aroma of Sakkarai Pongal, few like to roast and grind green cardamom also called elaichi powder or even edible camphor. Apart from this, pure cow ghee will not only make Chakkara Pongal authentic but also healthy.
Tips to make a perfect Chakkara Pongal Recipe (sweet Pongal):
Dal: Fry the moong dal, split yellow lentils, on a dry pan until it reaches golden light color to cook. This gives a better fragrance and smell of the dish and also reflects a good flavor.
Cook together rice and dal: Keep rice and dal together in a pressure cooker and cook till soft. Since it is Pongal, just add a little extra water than what’s actually needed, and you’ll have a great creamy texture.
Add jaggery: Jaggery is a traditional ingredient in making Chakkara Pongal Recipe as Jaggery is not only made sweet but also healthy. Do not use salted jaggery its a good idea to use natural. Strain jaggery syrup when it’s thin with a strainer to remove impurities, and add it to the cooked rice and dal mixture.
Add jaggery to taste and adjust the sweetness as you prefer it. You can add a little excess amount if you want it more sweet.
Add richness with ghee: Be generous with the ghee! Fry some cashews and raisins in ghee and mix them in for added flavor and texture. You can also add a little ghee to the Pongal itself while cooking.
Spices flavoring: Using crushed cardamom sprinkle the crushed pieces along it for that sweet and fragrant taste. A pinch of nutmeg or edible camphor (as desired) goes in to give a very traditional touch.
Adding grated coconut: Fresh grated coconut to Chakkara Pongal gives a slight crunch, which goes well with the flavor.
Serve when warm: The best Pongal is served warm, where ghee has melted well, and the flavors are well intermingled.
Chakkara Pongal Recipe, Sweet Pongal Recipe, Sakkarai Pongal
Chakkara Pongal Recipe or Sweet Pongal Recipe or Sakkarai Pongal is one of the traditional South Indian Recipes made with moong dal, rice, jaggery, sugar and dry fruits.
Ingredients
- 1 bowl Rice
- Water – Required
- 1 bowl Moong dal
- 5 tbsp. Ghee
- 3 tbsp. Cashew
- 1 tbsp. Raisins
- 1 bowl Coconut Pieces
- 1 cup Jaggery
- 1 cup Sugar
Instructions
- Clean rice and moong dal separately with adequate water and remove dust particles and skin of dal.
- In a pressure cooker, add cleaned rice and dal and add 4-5 bowls of water and pressure cook.
- While rice is being cooked, let us fry dry fruits and keep aside.
- In a pan, add ghee and when it melts add cashew and fry till they turn golden brown. Shift to another bowl.
- Add raisins and cook on low flame till they bulge. Here we need to take care that they don’t get burnt.
- In the leftover ghee roast coconut pieces as cow ghee elevates the taste of coconut pieces and also bring the crunchy flavor.
- If you are using a pure form of jaggery, you can directly add to the pan and add water to make syrup.
- If you feel there is a chance of impurities in jaggeries like stones or some times dry grass, distill to get pure syrup.
- In the same syrup add little sugar and boil till it dissolves.
- Add coconut pieces and dal rice in the syrup to get thick concentration.
- Sprinkle cardamom powder or edible camphor for aroma.
- In order to make this recipe non-sticky and enhance aroma and taste add cow ghee.
- Once ghee oozes out and Sweet Pongal or Chakkara Pongal is cooked, garnish with cashew and raisins.
Recipe Video
How to make Chakkara Pongal or Sakkarai Pongal Recipe:
- Add one bowl of rice to a vessel and add adequate water to clean the rice.
- Pour 2 bowls of water for every 1 bowl of rice in a pressure cooker at a ratio of 1:2.
- Similarly, add moong dal to the cooker and add 1 bowl of water at a ratio of 1:2.
Chakkara Pongal – Roasting Dry fruits with cow ghee:
- Add ghee to a pan and let it melt.
- Once ghee melts, add cashew and roast on low temp. till it turns a golden brown color.
- Transfer to another bowl, and keep aside.
- Similarly roast raisins on low temp. and transfer them once they increase in size.
- Add coconut pieces and roast them on low temperature till they turn a golden brown color.
Sakkarai Pongal – Making Jaggery and sugar syrup:
- Put jaggery, water, and sugar and mix well, bring it to boiling point.
- Open the pressure cooker and check for cooked rice and dal.
- Add roasted coconut pieces, cooked dal, and rice in jaggery syrup.
- Sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.
- Add roasted cashew and raisins and mix.
- Drop a little ghee to enhance the flavor of this recipe.
- Serve Chakkara Pongal in a serving bowl and garnish with raisins and cashews.
