Sweet Pongal |Sarkarai Pongal

Vazhaipazham Sakkarai Pongal is a lovely twist to the regular sweet pongal that is commonly prepared in South India on auspicious occasions. Adding bananas elevates the taste of the sweet pongal up by several notches, and is a great way to get the goodness of the fruits in. This little touch makes the regular sakkarai pongal more exotic, makes it just perfect to serve it for any festive occasions.

This is a simple pressure-cooker recipe that can be put together in a matter of minutes. I’m sure it will be much loved by people of all age groups, including fussy kids. 

The process is pretty similar to the regular sarkarai pongal but the addition of the over ripe banana makes a huge difference in the taste and flavour. The last addition of the edible camphor/pachai karpooram give the dish a very divine flavour. 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup rice

½ cup moong dal

1 pinch saffron

1 pinch salt 

4 cardamom, crushed

3 - 3½ cups water

300 gms jaggery

1 cup boiling hot water

1 over ripe banana, mashed

2 tbsp ghee 

A handful cashew

1 tiny pinch edible camphor/pachai karpooram(optional) 

METHOD 

Wash the rice and dal together, drain and set aside. 

Add the boiling hot water to the jaggery and let it aside. 

In a pressure cooker or instant pot add the washed rice and dal along with saffron, salt, cardamom and water. Cook it for 4-5 whistles in stovetop pressure cooker and 10 mins high pressure in an instant pot. Let the pressure release naturally. 

Meanwhile mix the jaggery to dissolve any big pieces left. Strain this mixture using a fine mesh strainer, set aside. 

Peel the over ripe banana and mash it well so that no large chunks are left. Set aside. 

Open the pressure cooker and mix it well so that the rice and dal gets mashed a bit. 

Add in the jaggery water and mix it well. Switch on the heat back to medium so that the liquid gets absorbed by the rice and dal mixture.

Once everything is  combined well add in the mashed banana, mix it well and switch off the heat. 

In a pan add the ghee and cashews, roast it until the cashews are golden brown in color. Add the ghee and roasted cashews to the prepared pongal and give it a mix. 

Optionally you can add a tiny pinch of edible camphor which will give a very nice flavour to the pongal. 

Mix and serve it warm or cold. Enjoy!!!