Sweet Pongal also known as Sakkarai Pongal or Chakkara pongal recipe is a delicious South Indian sweet dish made with rice, moong dal, jaggery, ghee, dry fruits and flavored with cloves ,cardamom in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Stove top.
This dish is made during festivals or special occasions and offered to god as prasadam.Sweet Pongal recipe is also known as Sakkare Pongal in kannada ,Sakkarai Pongal in tamil or Chakkara Pongal in telugu.
Today i am sharing One-Pot Pongal recipe which i have prepared in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT
Don’t have an Instant pot? You can easily make this in the normal Indian/stovetop pressure cooker. I have provided the steps below.
WHAT IS PONGAL(FESTIVAL)?
Pongal is a multi-day harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil Nadu that marks the first day of the sun’s return journey to the northern hemisphere, widely known as Makar Sankranti in India and this is typically celebrated on January 14.On this auspicious day people prepare both ven pongal and sweet pongal.
TIPS TO MAKE BEST SWEET PONGAL
- Sweet Pongal tastes best when made fresh and eaten hot.
- Using small grain rice such as sona masuri is preferred to make traditional Sweet Pongal.
- You can replace jaggery with with brown sugar or regular sugar but it wont taste as traditional sweet pongal.
- Sweet Pongal thickens a little on cooling. You can save leftovers in the refrigerator and re heat in a microwave or on stove top (add hot water if required to adjust consistency) just before serving.
VARIATIONS TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL
- Ratio of dal to rice is a personal preference.I have used 1:2 dal to rice ratio.But you can add equal amounts of dal and rice as well.
- You can use the same recipe to make millets ,quinoa sweet pongal.Just replace rice with millets or quinoa.
- Increase or decrease jaggery as per your preference.
- The color of Chakkara pongal differs with the color of jaggery.
- Edible Camphor is to get temple style flavor to the pongal but its optional.You can skip it.
CAN I MAKE VEGAN SWEET PONGAL?
Traditional sweet pongal recipe is not vegan.But adding milk while cooking rice and dal is optional ,you can replace milk with water.But i highly recommend using milk as it enhances taste.You can also use almond milk instead of dairy.
Ghee enriches the taste of pongal but replace ghee/clarified butter with neutral oil
HOW TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL IN INSTANT POT STEP BY STEP
Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Dry Roast the moong dal for few minutes till dal turns light brown or till aromatic. Dont brown it.
Then add the rinsed rice ,cloves ,milk and water .Mix well.
Note:Adding milk is optional ,you can replace milk with water.Milk enhances taste if added.
Press CANCEL button on Instant Pot.Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 9 minutes.
Wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR).Once the pressure has released, open the lid and mash the rice-dal mixture well.
Note: If rice is not mushy then select saute mode and add 1/2 cup of water and cook for 1-2 minutes or till mixture boils.
Turn on the SAUTE mode again and add the powdered organic jaggery with 1/2 cup of water and mix till it blends well with the rice dal mixture .It should begin to bubble up ,then turn off the SAUTE mode.
OR
If the jaggery has impurities Take a small pot, add 1/2 cup water and add the jaggery.Strain the melted jaggery into the boiled dal and rice.(you do not have to boil the jaggery water until it reaches sticky consistency or string consistency)
In another pan roast cashew and raisins in some ghee ,keep aside.
Lastly add roasted nuts ,ghee ,freshly ground cardamom ,nutmeg powder and edible camphor. Mix well. It will thicken and reach the right consistency as it cools down.
Sweet or Sakkarai Pongal recipe is ready to serve.
CHECKOUT OTHER INSTANT POT DESSERTS LIKE
Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer)
SWEET PONGAL RECIPE CARD
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Sweet Pongal Recipe
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1/4 cup skinless split moong dal
- 1/2 cup raw rice
- 2 cloves (optional)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups water +1/2 cup extra to adjust consistency
- 3/4-1 cup jaggery (Organic)
- 5 tablespoon ghee
- few cashews
- few raisins
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
- tiny pinch edible camphor (optional)
- a pinch nutmeg powder (optional)
Instructions
INSTANT POT METHOD:
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Dry Roast the moong dal for few minutes till dal turns light brown or till aromatic. Dont brown it.
- Then add the rinsed rice ,cloves ,milk and water .Mix well.
- Press CANCEL button on Instant Pot.Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 9 minutes.
- Wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR)
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid and mash the rice-dal mixture well.Note: If rice is not mushy then select saute mode and add 1/2 cup of water and cook for 1-2 minutes or till mixture boils.
- Turn on the SAUTE mode again and add the powdered organic jaggery with 1/2 cup of water and mix till it blends well with the rice dal mixture .It should begin to bubble up ,then turn off the SAUTE mode.
- In another pan roast cashew and raisins in some ghee ,keep aside.
- Lastly add roasted nuts ,ghee ,freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg powder and edible camphor. Mix well. It will thicken and reach the right consistency as it cools down.
- Sweet Pongal is ready to serve.
STOVE TOP INDIAN PRESSURE COOKER METHOD:
- Take a pressure cooker and dry roast the moong dal for few minutes till dal turns light brown or till aromatic. Dont brown it.
- Then add the rinsed rice ,cloves ,milk and water .Mix well.
- Close the lid and put the whistle weight on. Cook for 3-4 whistles on medium flame and turn off the gas.
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid and mash the rice-dal mixture well
- Turn on the gas on medium-low flame and add the powdered organic jaggery with 1/2 cup of water and mix till it blends well with the rice dal mixture .It should begin to bubble up ,then turn off the gas.
- In another pan roast cashew and raisins in some ghee ,keep aside.
- Lastly add roasted nuts ,ghee ,freshly ground cardamom ,nutmeg powder and edible camphor. Mix well. It will thicken and reach the right consistency as it cools down.
- Sweet Pongal is ready to serve.
Notes
TIPS TO MAKE BEST SWEET PONGAL
- Sweet Pongal tastes best when made fresh and eaten hot.
- Using small grain rice such as sona masuri is preferred to make traditional Sweet Pongal.
- You can replace jaggery with with brown sugar or regular sugar but it wont taste as traditional sweet pongal.
- Sweet Pongal thickens a little on cooling. You can save leftovers in the refrigerator and re heat in a microwave or on stove top (add hot water if required to adjust consistency) just before serving.
VARIATIONS TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL
- Ratio of dal to rice is a personal preference.I have used 1:2 dal to rice ratio.But you can add equal amounts of dal and rice as well.
- You can use the same recipe to make millets ,quinoa sweet pongal.Just replace rice with millets or quinoa.
- Increase or decrease jaggery as per your preference.
- The color of Chakkara pongal differs with the color of jaggery.
- Edible Camphor is to get temple style flavor to the pongal but its optional.You can skip it.
CAN I MAKE VEGAN SWEET PONGAL?
Traditional sweet pongal recipe is not vegan.But adding milk while cooking rice and dal is optional ,you can replace milk with water.But i highly recommend using milk as it enhances taste.You can also use almond milk instead of dairy.
Ghee enriches the taste of pongal but replace ghee/clarified butter with neutral oil. Note:Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
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