Sweet Pongal/Sarkkarai pongal

Sweet pongal( sarkkarai pongal) or whatever we may call it is a sweet dish prepared in south India with rice, lentils, jaggery, and milk.  This is very popular amongst the Tamil community all over the world.  This dish is prepared during festival times especially Thai pongal/sankranti, which is celebrated mid January as a harvest festival.

There are mainly two variety of pongal the savoury pongal, which is served for breakfast and the sweet pongal which is served as prasadam in temples in south India. 

Basically, the festival of pongal is celebrated from January 13^th to 16^th of every year.  This is celebrated as a thanksgiving to Mother Nature for an abundant harvest and is a way of showing out gratitude towards nature. The dishes are made using the new harvest of rice, sugarcane, lentils, and milk.

Ingredients

• ½ cup of rice soaked for 10 minutes   
• ½ cup of moong dal soaked for 10 minutes
• 2 cups of water
• ¾ cups of jaggery
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• 12 whole cashew nuts
• One tablespoon raisins
• 2 cloves
• ¼ cup of hot water to adjust the consistency
• 2 tablespoon ghee
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

Method

• In a pressure cooker take the ½ cup of rice and moong dal soaked for 10 ten minutes along with two cups of water and cook for three whistles.
• Make sure that the dal and rice is cooked completely.
• Take a pan. Put ½ cup of water and add the jaggery and let it melt. 
• Strain the jaggery water and set aside.
• Once the pressure in the cooker has released itself, add the jaggery water and combine with the cooked rice and dal mix.
• Add one tablespoon of ghee.  Simmer for a two minutes stirring occasionally.
• Check the consistency of the pongal. Keep stirring the pongal till it becomes glossy. Turn off the gas.
• In a separate pan, heat two tablespoon of ghee, add the cashew nuts, one tablespoon of raisins, and two cloves.
• Pour the roasted cashew and raisins into the sweet pongal.
• Add ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder and it is ready to serve as an offering to the gods.

Enjoy this sweet dish and have a happy pongal.  May this festival bring all the happiness, health and wealth to the family. 

Happy Pongal.