Sweet Pongal (Sweetened Rice and Lentils)

Sweet Pongal is a creamy, sweet porridge made with rice, mung lentils and flavored with cardamoms, dry fruits. Sweet Pongal is also known as sakkarai pongal and chakkara pongal in South Indian languages is a festive dish traditionally made during the Pongal Festival in South India.

About this recipe

There are some South Indian recipes offered in temples that are a favorite with us – Ven Pongal, Curd Rice, Tamarind Rice, Paal Payasam and this sweet Pongal. I have had these recipes as prashad (naivdeyam) in many South Indian temples and loved their taste.

Sweet pongal is made with cooked rice and yellow moong lentils to which jaggery is added. Jaggery is Indian unrefined cane sugar and has a molasses-like flavor and taste. So you can imagine what this sweet pongal tastes like.

The flavorings added in sakkarai pongal are of course cardamom powder coupled with some cashews and raisins.

During pooja or on auspicious days, I make sweets and offer them to the Mother Goddess. Whenever I offer anything to the deities, I always add a pinch of edible camphor in these delicacies.

Though do note that adding edible camphor in your sweet pongal is entirely optional.

I also add clove powder or clove to any savory or sweet dish that I offer to the Devi. This is something which I follow in our family, as my mother and mother-in-law do the same.

So in this chakkara pongal, I have powdered one clove and added it. Though adding clove is optional.

How to make Sweet Pongal

For your ease of understanding and reading, I have divided the entire step by step recipe of sweet pongal into 6 steps. So that it is easy for you.

1. Roasting rice and moong dal
2. Cooking rice & moong lentils
3. Preparing jaggery syrup
4. Sweetening rice and lentils
5. Frying dry fruits
6. Making sweet pongal

Step 1: roasting rice and moong dal

1. Pick ½ cup rice and ⅓ cup moong dal first to get rid of stones if any. Then heat a small pan or a small kadai and add both the rice and moong lentils.

2. On a low flame stirring often roast both the rice and moong lentils, until they become aromatic.

3. You only need to roast, until the moong lentils become aromatic. You do not require to brown them.

4. Now take the roasted rice and lentils in another bowl or a strainer.

5. Rinse both the roasted rice and moong dal a couple of times with water.

Step 2: cooking rice and moong lentils

6. Drain well and then add both rice and lentils in a 3 litre pressure cooker. Pour 3 cups water. The amount of water can add depends on the consistency you prefer and the quality of moong dal.

Mostly I cook the moong lentils for 8 to 9 whistles. Thus I add 3 or 3.25 cups water. For quicker cooker variety of moong lentils, add 2.5 cups water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.

7. Pressure cook on medium heat for 11 to 12 minutes or for 8 to 9 whistles.

8. When the pressure settle down on its own in the cooker, remove the lid. Check to see if the rice and lentils have softened nicely and look mushy.

TIP: Add ½ to 1 cup hot water and mix thoroughly, if you get a separate texture of rice and lentils similar to that of a Pulao.

9. Both the rice and the moong dal should be cooked very well and mushy. With a spoon slightly mash the cooked rice and moong lentils. If cooked well, then cover with the lid and set aside. The consistency of the cooked rice and lentils is like that of a khichdi.

10. Meanwhile when the rice is cooking, crush seeds of 5 green cardamoms + 1 clove in a mortar-pestle. If using cardamom powder alone, then you can add ½ teaspoon of it.

Step 3 – preparing jaggery syrup

11. Chop 115 to 120 grams jaggery. You should get about ½ cup tightly packed chopped or grated jaggery.

This much amount of jaggery makes the sakkarai pongal just sweet. For more sweetness, you can add ¼ cup more.

On occasions I also use organic jaggery powder and add it directly to the cooked rice+moong lentils.

TIP: If you are using jaggery or jaggery powder without impurities, then you can add it directly to the cooked rice+lentils mixture.

12. Now take ½ cup water in a pan. Add the chopped jaggery.

13. On a low to medium flame, heat this jaggery solution until the jaggery melts completely.

14. Do stir and break the jaggery chunks or pieces with a spatula or spoon so that they melt easily.

15. Let the syrup bubble up a bit. You will get an amber colored syrup when all the jaggery is melted, if you have used dark jaggery.

If you have light colored jaggery, then the color will be pale yellow to yellow. If you want you can thicken the syrup more.

Step 4 – sweetening the rice and lentils

16. Straining the jaggery syrup through a sieve, directly add it in the cooked rice+lentils mixture. If using organic jaggery powder, you can add it directly.

17. Now add the crushed cardamom+clove powder and a pinch of edible camphor.

18. Mix everything very well. The chakkara pongal will thicken as it cools. So if the mixture looks thick, then you can add ¼ to ⅓ cup hot water.

Step 5 – frying dry fruits

19. Heat 4 to 5 tablespoons ghee. You can add a bit less ghee if you prefer.

20. Add 12 to 15 cashews. You can keep the cashews whole or halve or chop them.

21. Fry the cashews until they become light golden.

22. Then add 1 tablespoons raisins.

23. Begin to stir and fry.

24. Stirring often fry until the raisins swell and become plump.

Step 6 – making sweet pongal

25. Then immediately remove the pan from the stove top and add the fried cashews, raisins and ghee to the cooked rice and lentils.

26. Mix very well.

27. Offer to the Goddess or you can serve sweet pongal hot or warm to your family members. You can garnish sakkarai pongal with some of the fried cashews and raisins while serving.

Variations

• With milk: Some version of sweet pongal are made with milk. So you can definitely add milk in place of water in this recipe. Milk will make the chakkara pongal slightly richer and creamier.
• With sugar: Though jaggery is traditionally used in making sakkarai pongal, but you can replace it with raw sugar or white sugar. Sweeteners like coconut sugar or palm sugar also make excellent substitutes.
• Healthy ingredients: Rice and moong lentils are again the norm in a sweet pongal. Though of course you can deviate and make sakkarai pongal with cracked wheat (dalia), millets or oats.

How to make Sweet Pongal in Instant Pot

Follow these steps to make sweet pongal in your IP:

1. First roast the rice and lentils separately in a frying pan. Then rinse and add these to the steel insert of your IP.
2. Pour 3.5 cups water. Pressure cook on high pressure for 6 to 7 minutes. Do a quick pressure release after 10 to 12 minutes.
3. If you see that the consistency is thick or with separate grains, then pour some water. Mix and press the sauté button to simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the ground cardamom and clove powder. Make the jaggery syrup and add it. Later fry the cashews, raisins separately and mix it with the cooked rice and lentils. Serve chakkara pongal hot or warm.

Expert Tips

Ingredient notes

• Sweeteners: Jaggery imparts a lovely earthy molasses-like taste in sakkarai pongal. If you do not have jaggery, then add raw sugar or white sugar in the same amount. Palm sugar and coconut sugar also work wonderfully in a sweet pongal. For more sweetness, you can add ¼ cup more jaggery. On occasions, I also use organic jaggery powder and add it directly to the cooked rice+moong lentils. Jaggery can be easily purchased online or on amazon.
• Ghee: You can add a bit less ghee if you prefer that. More ghee will definitely make the chakkara pongal rich and more flavorful.
• Rice: Any medium or short-grained non-sticky rice can be used. Generally, during the pongal festival, freshly harvested rice is used. If you can get freshly harvested rice, then do make the sweet pongal recipe with it.
• Spices: Cardamom is an essential spice. But you can omit clove and edible camphor.

Recipe notes

• Cooking lentils: Depending on the quality of moong dal you adjust the amount of water and pressure cook for less or more time. I pressure cook the lentils for 8 to 10 whistles and add 3 or 3.25 cups water. If your moong lentils cook faster, then add 2.5 cups water and pressure cook them for 2 to 3 whistles on medium heat.
• Cooking in a pan: You can easily make sweet pongal on the stove-top in a pot or pan. Dry roast the rice and lentils first. Add them in a pan with 4 to 4.5 cups water and cook until softened. Do add more water if required.
• Proportion of rice and lentils: In my recipe, the proportion of rice is slightly more. Equal proportions of moong lentils and rice also work well.
• Scaling: You can easily double or triple this recipe of chakkara pongal to make a large batch.
• Storage: If you have any leftovers then store in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. I would not recommend freezing as the taste will not be the same and it is always better to eat rice and lentils freshly cooked. After refrigeration, if the consistency looks very thick or lumpy, then add some hot water or milk to thin it slightly.

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This sweet pongal recipe from the archives (July 2016) has been republished and updated on 12 January 2020