Sakkarai pongal

Sakkarai pongal

Pongal is the harvest festival celebrated in Tamilnadu on the first day of the Tamil month “Thai”.Sakkarai Pongal – Sarkarai Pongal is prepared with the fresh milk and the harvested rice in the mud pot and offered (as neivedhaiyam) to the lord Surya(Sun God).

Here is the Sakkarai Pongal recipe that I prepared in the pressure cooker. 

INGREDIENTS

Raw Rice – 1 Cup
Green Gram Dhall – 1/4 Cup (Optional)
Jaggary (Powdered) – 2-3 Cups (As per taste)
Cardamom (Powdered) – 3
Cashew – 10 (Broken)
Raisins – 10
Ghee – 3 table spoons
Water – 2 Cups

A pinch of saffron (Optional)

milk -optional 

 METHOD

1. Roast the Green Gram Dhall till it turns light brown.

2. Mix it with rice and wash them thoroughly.

3. Pressure cook the mix with water, for about 3-4 whistles.

4. Once cooled, mash the rice + dhall mix (add boiled  milk here)

5. In a heavy bottom kadai, dissolve powdered Jaggery with 1/2 cup water, bring it to boil, till it melts completely.

6. Once Jaggary is fully dissolved, remove it from the fire, strain the Jaggery syrup to remove the dirt.

7. Again, heat the syrup till it reaches thick consistency.

8. Now add, cooked rice + dhall mix and cook it in medium flame for 5 mins.

9. In a seperate Pan, heat 4 spoons of Ghee and fry Cashews & Raisins, add them to the cooked Pongal.

10. Add Cardamom powder and Mix well.

11. Sweet Pongal is ready to serve.