Sakkarai Pongal
rice and moong dal cooked soft in jaggery syrup with cardamom and fried cashew
Allergens in Sakkarai Pongal: milk, tree nuts.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 1 cup, raw Rice
- 1/4 cup Moong Dal
- 1.5 cups, grated Jaggerydark kolhapuri or paagu vellam, not sugar
- 6 tbsp Gheethis is a ghee dish; do not cut it back
- 15 whole Cashewoptional
- 2 tbsp Raisinsoptional
- 6 pods, seeds crushed Cardamom
- 1/4 tsp Dry Ginger Powderthe traditional finishing note alongside cardamomoptional
- 200ml Milkcooks the rice softer than water alone
- 500ml, plus 150ml for the syrup Water
- 2 tbsp, chopped into slivers Coconutoptional
Cookware
stovetop, pressure cooker
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Dry roast the moong dal for 3 minutes before cooking it. The raw smell has to go, and it is what makes pongal smell like pongal.
- Grate the jaggery rather than chopping it so it dissolves evenly.
- Have the ghee warm and ready; cold ghee added to hot pongal seizes into streaks.
Method
- Dry roast the moong dal in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes until it smells nutty and turns a shade darker.
- Wash the rice and roasted dal together, then pressure cook with the milk and 500ml water for 5 whistles.Five whistles, not three. Sakkarai pongal wants the grains collapsed, not separate.
- Let the pressure fall naturally, open, and mash the rice and dal together with a ladle until creamy.
- Meanwhile melt the jaggery with 150ml water in a separate pan over medium heat, stirring, then strain through a sieve to remove grit.Always strain jaggery. Even good blocks carry sand and cane fibre.
- Boil the strained syrup 4 minutes until it thickens slightly and coats a spoon.
- Pour the hot syrup into the mashed rice and stir over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.Keep the flame low from here on. Jaggery scorches on the base and the burnt taste spreads through the whole pot.
- Fry the cashews, coconut slivers and raisins in 2 tbsp of the ghee until the nuts are golden and the raisins plump, then tip them in with their ghee.
- Stir in the remaining ghee a spoonful at a time, along with the crushed cardamom and dry ginger powder.
- Cook 2 minutes more until glossy, then serve warm.
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. It sets firm when cold, so reheat with 2 tbsp milk and an extra spoon of ghee, stirring until it loosens back to a soft spoonable mass.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Sakkarai Pongal (232 g) is about 507 calories, or 219 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 6 g a serving, 4% of the calories
| Per serving232 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 507 kcal | 219 kcal |
| Protein | 5.7 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 87.6 g | 38 g |
| of which sugars | 55.8 g | 24 g |
| Fibre | 2.0 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 15.8 g | 7 g |
| of which saturated | 10.1 g | 4 g |
| of which unsaturated | 4.7 g | 2 g |
Syrup left in the bowl, or batter that yields more than the stated servings, means the real figures are likely lower. Nearest database match used for jaggery. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Tamil Nadu recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.