Same-day delivery Kachirapalayam Rd, 606202 · within 2 km
DEEPAVALI STORE · SUN 8 NOVDeepavaliLamps, oil, sweets-making and gifts
COMBO KITS · ONE TAP, WHOLE LIST combo plus Ready kits for school, pooja and snacks
FROM OUR KITCHEN AND SHELVES Samayal சமையல் · recipes, buying guides and festival lists
NEW DEALS EVERY DAY Offer zone Prices cut on stationery, pooja and dry fruits
ONLY FOR HOMES WITHIN 2 KM Local exclusive
Recipe · Festival food · Tamil Nadu

Sakkarai Pongal: Sweet Pongal with Jaggery and Ghee

Rice and moong dal cooked soft, then simmered in jaggery syrup with ghee, cashews, raisins and cardamom. The Pongal festival sweet.

Our kitchenUpdated
Prep10 min
Cook35 min
Makes4 servings
Jump to recipe
Sweet sakkarai pongal with cashews and raisins in a brass bowl
In this recipe3 parts
  1. Ingredients and steps
  2. Sakkarai pongal or ven pongal?
  3. Questions people ask

Quick answer

Pressure-cook ½ cup rice and 2 tablespoons roasted moong dal until very soft, stir in strained jaggery syrup and cook 5 minutes, then add cashews and raisins fried in ghee and a pinch of cardamom.

Ingredients and steps

4 servings

Screen stays on while you cook · tap a step to mark where you are

Ingredients

  • In the shop
  • In the shop
  • In the shop
  • On our shelves
  • In the shop
  • On our shelves
  • On our shelves
  • In the shop
  • In the shop

You need

Pressure cooker or a potHeavy kadaiSmall pan for frying nuts

Steps

  1. Roast the dal

    Dry-roast the moong dal on a low flame until it smells nutty, about 3 minutes.

  2. Cook rice and dal

    Wash the rice and dal together. Cook with the water and milk until very soft and mushy: 4 to 5 whistles in a pressure cooker, or about 25 minutes in a pot. Mash lightly.

  3. Make the syrup

    Melt the jaggery in ¼ cup water, strain out any grit, and boil the syrup for 2 minutes.

  4. Simmer together

    Add the syrup to the rice and cook on a low flame, stirring, for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Add 2 tablespoons of the ghee.

  5. Finish

    Fry the cashews and raisins in the rest of the ghee until the cashews are golden and the raisins puff. Pour over the pongal with the cardamom and edible camphor, and mix.

Shop tip: Sakkarai pongal thickens as it cools. Turn off the heat while it is still a little loose, and add a splash of hot milk when reheating.

430kcal
6 gprotein
70 gcarbs
15 gfat

Per serving, an estimate. It does not change with the servings.

Made it?Tap to rate it

Sakkarai pongal or ven pongal?

Sakkarai pongalSweet
  • Jaggery, ghee, cashews, raisins
  • Made on the Pongal festival and for temple days
  • Served as a sweet
or
Ven pongalSavoury
  • Pepper, cumin, ginger, ghee
  • A regular breakfast
  • Served with chutney and sambar

Want the savoury one too? Here is our ven pongal recipe.

Try these next

Ven pongal with pepper and cashews, chutney and sambar on a banana leafBreakfastNEW

Ven Pongal: Soft Rice and Moong Dal with Pepper and Ghee

40 minin all3servingsGolden nei appam on a plate beside a lit brass lampSweetsNEW

Nei Appam for Karthigai Deepam: Soft Inside, Crisp Outside

50 min+ soaking20appamsCrisp golden murukku spirals on a steel plateSnacksNEW

Crispy Murukku for Deepavali: Rice Flour and Urad Dal

1 hin all25murukkus

Questions people ask

Why did my pongal turn grainy?
The jaggery syrup was added to rice that was not soft enough, or it boiled too long. Cook the rice fully first and simmer the syrup in for just 5 minutes.
Can I make it without milk?
Yes. Use 2½ cups water instead. Milk only makes it creamier.
How much edible camphor should I add?
A tiny pinch, smaller than a grain of rice, for the whole pot. Use only edible camphor (pacha karpooram), never the camphor tablets used for aarti.