Sweet Pongal

சர்க்கரை பொங்கல் (Sweet Pongal)

Sweet Pongal is a traditional sweet made on Pongal Day (Thai pongal / தைப்பொங்கல்) and offered to Sun as a thanks to God after harvesting. Pongal is made using raw rice, generally from freshly harvested in that season. This day is celebrated in several states as a harvest festival. Also Pongal is prepared on both Thai Pongal day and Mattu pongal day.

Ingredients for Sweet Pongal

Raw rice – 1 cup
Moong dal – 1/4 cup
Jaggery (vellam) – crushed 2 1/2 cup
Sugar crystals (kalkandu) – 1/4 cup
Ghee – 1/2 cup
Coconut – shredded 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts – chopped 1/4 cup
Dry grapes – 2 tbsp
Cardamom – 2
Water – 4 cups (paanai kaluthukku mel)

Directions

Boil the water in the pot.
Put washed rice and moong dal in boiling water.
Change the flame to medium.
Check the rice fully cooked and can easily mashup.
See if there is any full size rice.
Then add jaggery and sugar crystals and mix well.
Continue to mix well or rice will stick at the bottom.
On a pan, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes in ghee.
Add coconut and fried cashew nuts and dry grapes and mix thoroughly.
Wait for the water to reduce.
Switch off the flame and add crushed cardamom and give a final mix.
Sweet sarkarai pongal / சக்கரை பொங்கல் ready.