Sakkarai Pongal

Sakkarai pongal.
A delicious dessert from Tamil cuisine.
Pongal is a popular rice dish, originating from Tamil Nadu. In Tamil “pongal” ” means to ” boil over ” or “spill over”.
Sakkarai pongal (literally sweet pongal) is generally prepared in temples as a prasadam, (an offering made to a deity). This type of pongal is also made during Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu.
Ingredients can include rice, coconut and mung bean. Sakarai pongal is traditionally sweetened with jaggery, which gives the pongal a brown colour, though it can be sweetened with white sugar instead.
Source – Wikipedia

This post is going to be a part of a Facebook group Recipe swap challenge initiated by Jolly and Vidya.
We have to recreate a recipe from a fellow blogger’s blog. This month my partner is very talented blogger Priya Iyer who blog at My word through my eyes.
Check out her space for delicious and authentic recipes. I have selected this recipe Classic shakkari pongal from her space.

 

I love the aroma of ghee fried moong dal. So I have fried the dal. This dessert is not only delicious but aromatic. I am sure you will love the taste and flavour. Jaggery, ghee fried moong dal, cardamom and nutmeg made this dessert super yummy and aromatic. Nutmeg is optional if you don’t like, then you can skip it. If you want to make it vegan then skip milk and use water instead.

Recipe

Rice – 1/4 cup

Moong dal or yellow lentil – 1/4 cup

Jaggery powder – 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon

Ghee or clarified butter – 1 – 2 tablespoon

Coconut – 1/4 cup, grated

Water – 2 cup

Cashew – 2 tablespoon, broken

Raisins – 2 tablespoon

Milk – 1 & 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Nutmeg powder – 1/4 teaspoon, optional

Method

1. Rinse and drain the rice and dal separately.

2. Heat ghee in a pan add the cashew nuts. Fry till the cashews becomes light brown. Remove from ghee.

3. Now fry the raisins. When the raisins fluff up immediately remove from ghee.

4. In the same pan add drained moong dal. Fry till the dal starts to change it’s colour.

5. Add the rice and fry with dal for a few seconds.

6. Transfer the fried rice and dal in a pressure cooker. You can also fry the dry fruits, rice and dal in pressure cooker.

7. Add 2 cup water in pressure cooker. Close the lid and cook for 4 whistle or till rice and dal becomes soft.
Let the pressure settle down on it’s own.

8. Open the pressure cooker. Mash the rice and dal with a spatula or ladle.

9. Add milk and let it boil. When it starts to boil, add grated fresh coconut and reduce the heat.

10. Cook on simmer for 10 minutes or till you get your desired consistency. Keep stirring.

11. Don’t make it dry. It will dry up when cool. Keep the consistency like kheer or rice pudding.

12. Add jaggery powder and mix. I like less sweat but if you like your shakkari pongal more sweet then taste and add 1 tablespoon more jaggery powder if require.

13. Add fried cashews, raisins, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Mix well and remove from heat. Nutmeg is optional if you don’t like the flavour, then you can skip it.

14. If it’s become too dry add little more milk or water.
Your shakkari pongal is ready. Serve warm or cold. It will be delicious in both ways.

Notes

1. If you want to make it dairy free, then omit milk and use only water.

2. Colour of this dessert depends on the colour of the jaggery you are using.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

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