sweet pongal recipe | sakkarai pongal recipe | chakkara pongal (2024)

sweet pongal recipe | sakkarai pongal recipe | chakkara pongal with detailed photo and video recipe. a popular sweetened rice based dish from south india which is also hugely popular in srilanka and thailand especially with the tamil community. there are several names across south india and it is also known as huggi in kannada or in karnataka. the dish is specifically made during the pongal festival with moong dal, jaggery and rice with freshly harvested grains.

sweet pongal recipe | sakkarai pongal recipe | chakkara pongal with step by step photo and video recipe. there are several varieties of pongal dish and the most common one is the savory ven pongal which is mainly prepared for breakfast. but the sweet pongal or chakkara pongal is especially prepared during the celebration of sankranti festival and served as prasadam in many south indian temples.

basically the festival of pongal or makara sankrati is celebrated from january 13th to 16th of every year. the occasion is to celebrate the harvest season and about thanksgiving to nature by cooking new rice or freshly harvested grains. the word ‘ponga’ basically means overflowing and is referred to overflow cooking style in an earthly pot with wood fire. moreover widely sankranti is celebrated on january 14th, but each day to this 4 day festival has a significance and celebrated with unique recipes. but sakkarai pongal recipe or chakkara pongal is a common recipe prepared every day throughout and is served with other desserts and savouries.

some important tips and points to be considered while preparing sweet pongal recipe. firstly and traditionally sweet pongal is always prepared from jaggery which also makes it more flavourful. but as an alternative, you can also use white crystal sugar or brown sugar as a replacement if you do not have jaggery. secondly, i have used normal daily use sona masuri rice to this recipe and i recommend the same. also make sure it is cooked well before jaggery syrup is added to it otherwise it may not mix well. lastly, the temple style chakkara pongal recipe typically contains camphor added to it in a small quantity. if you wish to have authentic one, feel free to add a crushed small portion of it at the end of recipe.

finally i would like to highlight my other indian sweet recipe collection for festival with this post of sweet pongal. it includes recipes like sooji ka halwa, sabudana kheer, rice kheer, malpua, besan laddo, rava ladoo, balushahi, boondi laddo, karanji and obbattu recipe. in addition do visit my other recipes collection like,

• rice recipes collection
• dosa recipes collection
• idli recipes collection

sweet pongal video recipe:

recipe card for sakkarai pongal or sweet pongal:

how to make chakkara pongal with step by step photo:

1. firstly, in a pressure cooker take½ cup rice and¼ cup moong dal (both soaked for 15 minutes)
   
2. add in2¼ cup water and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
   
3. make sure the dal and rice is cooked completely.
   
4. further in a pan take¾ cup jaggery and ¼ cup water.
   
5. keep stirring till the jaggery melts completely.
   
6. now filter the jaggery water into cooked rice-dal mixture.
   
7. add¼ cup water or more adjusting consistency as required.
   
8. simmer for 2 minutes or till jaggery combines well with rice-dal mixture.
   
9. add in 2 tbsp ghee and give a good mix till the sakkarai pongal turns glossy.
   
10. now in a small kadai heat2 tspghee and fry 10 whole cashew, 2 tbsp raisins and 1 clove.
    
11. pour the fried cashews and kishmish into sweet pongal.
    
12. also add ¼ tsp cardamom powder and small piece edible camphor. mix well.
    
13. finally, sweet pongal / sakkarai pongal is ready to offer to goddess.
    

notes:

• firstly, adjust the jaggery based on sweetness you are looking for.
• also filtering jaggery water is optional, you can skip this step if jaggery is clean.
• additionally, use homemade fresh ghee for more flavour and aroma.
• furthermore, adding milk while cooking dal – rice is optional, it enhances the flavour of pongal.
• finally, adjsut the consistency ofsweet pongal / sakkarai pongalas it thickens once cooled.