Sakkarai Pongal Recipe 2022: How to prepare a Traditional Sakkarai Pongal?

What is Kaanum Pongal?

Kaanum Pongal, when hardworking farmers go around the village exchanging gifts and good words with other people.

How to Prepare a Traditional (Sakkarai Pongal) Sweet Pongal?

Sweet Pongal is very traditional for the Pongal festival. In this blog post, we will see Venkatesh Bhat Sakkarai Pongal receipe.

Steps:

Take 1 bowl (200g) of rice and add it to the cooker.
Then add 50g of Moong dal.
Make sure to thoroughly wash them 4 times.
This is so that any polishing chemical, pesticide, dirt etc. can be cleaned.
To this washed mixture,
Add 1 tbsp of ghee.
Add ½ a bowl of milk (same bowl as the one used for measuring rice earlier)
Then add 4 cups of water.

The reason we’ve added ghee is so that it doesn’t overflow by buffing up.

Always cook in a cooker with larger volume, or else reduce the quantity.

If you have a cooker like mine, you can add this measure of ingredients,

It won’t overflow. But it is prone to overflowing, if you add too much.

For sweet Pongal, the rice and moong dal mixture should be very mushy and soft.

Because of this, it won’t have a rough texture after mixing with the jaggery syrup.

The musher it gets, the better its taste will be.

If the cooked concoction has a starchy consistency, then the Pongal will be a delight to eat!

That is why there is an excess of water. So, cook in a large cooker or with lesser quantities.

Let this cook for 6 whistles.

While it cooks for 6 whistles,

Let’s prepare the jaggery concoction.

Added 1 cup of rice,
2 cups of jaggery is required.

Pagu Vellam/Moulded jaggery is the best option.

Using normal jaggery will reduce the intensity of the colour.

Pagu Vellam however, will give a sticky and well-rounded consistency.

I’m using regular jaggery so it will come out with a regular brown colour.

If you use Pagu Vellam, it will have a dark brown colour and appetising colour.

But no matter the type of jaggery

Rice Quantity

The quantity should be double as that of rice.

2 cups of jaggery for 1 cup of rice
After heating a pan
Pour ¼ tumbler of water and wait for it to heat.
Then add the 2 cups of jaggery. Mix it around.
It will usually have extra unwanted particles. That is why we will strain this after a while.
So, keep a straining vessel ready.
It will take about 7-8 minutes to melt fully.
After that it has to boil.
Within 5 minutes after that, single string consistency will be obtained.

The reason we’re melting and cooking this separately is because,

If we add jaggery to the Sweet Pongal mixture and then cook, it will take a long time.

So, if we prepare it separately, we can just pour it to that mixture and it will be ready in just 5 minutes.

It has melted. Strain it using a strainer so that the extra particles are strained.

Cooking it on slow flame for 6-7 minutes will help you achieve this.

Single string consistency has been achieved. Turn the gas off.

Now, it has cooked for 6 whistles.

Observe, it has cooked well in a mashy manner. Keep it aside.

Now, take a kadai.

I’m preparing it in separate vessels. This isn’t necessary at home. You can prepare it in the same cooker.

After it heats, add 2 ½ tbsp of ghee for now.
To it, add 3 cloves. This is for its flavour.
You may avoid it if you don’t like cloves or cardamom.
I prefer it so I will choose to add it.
Cashew nuts as per your preference.

According to me, be it Ven Pongal or Sweet Pongal, one cashew nut must be encountered with every spoonful.

Add the cooked rice and moong dal mixture.
Mix well with the ghee.
Add the melted jaggery syrup and cook well.
Let it cook well for another 6-7 minutes and thicken.
Keep stirring every side to avoid burning.
At this stage, add 1 full tsp of Elaichi powder.
Nutmeg is an important flavouring agent for Sweet Pongal.
It has a powerful aroma and is very flavoursome so only a minute amount is to be added.

So, if you add too much of it, it will overpower the taste of the Sweet Pongal.

That is why, just a pinch of nutmeg powder will suffice.

Another important flavour for Sweet Pongal, is raisins.

Many people add and cook the raisins along with cashew nuts.

But this is not advised because if it cooks too much in the concoction, it will lose its sour taste.

So even though it involves an extra step, it is best to cook the raisins with ghee in a separate pan and add them at the end.

Do this after turning the gas off. This will give a signature taste to the Pongal.

No matter the type of sweet, a pinch of salt is mandatory to enhance the sweet.

Salt is very important for glaze, colour etc.

This has to cook for 7-8 minutes without burning.

Now, this has cooked halfway through. At this time, add 1 tbsp of ghee.

After 5 mins, when it is 70-80% cooked, we need to add another tbsp of ghee, boil for 2 mins and turn the gas off.

That time, an oily glaze will be formed.

It has cooked well for 7-8 minutes after adding the jaggery mixture.

Add around ½ a tbsp of ghee.

Now it may seem as if I’m adding ghee haphazardly but in total, I’ve taken just one cup of ghee for this dish.
I'm going to use the rest for cooking the raisins.

Stir it like so, and turn the gas off.

Be careful when cooking, use a large ladle. That time it is less likely that your hands will burn.

Many people ask how I’m able to rest my hands on this without it burning me. This is because the handle is insulated. Only the Kadai will be hot.

Many of you have asked where this Kadai is obtainable from, its material etc.

I will be revealing it to you shortly, it’ll be one of my products. Now, heat a pan and add the remaining ghee (1 tbsp)

When the ghee has melted and heated, turn the gas off. This heat will suffice. Add the raisins.

Let it cook and bubble up. Add it to the Pongal.

Raisins cooked in this method are the optimal ones for sweet Pongal. It gives the right texture, colour etc.

After 30 mins, it will cool down and have a wonderful consistency. It will be very easy to scoop with a spoon.

Fantastic Sweet Pongal has ready.