Sakkara Pongal for Navratri

By Priya Narayan

This dessert is a popular naivedyam (prasad) in South India. It is auspicious to make this and offer during one of the Navratri days. Here is a simple recipe to help you make this mouthwatering sweet dish.

Ingredients

• Half glass rice
• Half glass yellow moong dal
• 1 glass jaggery
• 2 glass water
• 1 glass milk
• 2 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• A handful of cashew nuts and raisins

Method

1. Dry roast the rice and dal separately till you get an aroma.
2. Pressure cook the dal and rice with the said quantity of milk and water altogether for 4-5 whistles.
3. Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee till light brown.
4. In a separate pan add 1/4 glass water and jaggery and keep on stirring till the jaggery melts. After it melts cook for additional 5-7 minutes till you get a strong aroma of melted jaggery.
5. Remove the cooked rice and dal mixture and mash it well.
6. Add it to the melted jaggery and cook for 3 -5 minutes.
7. Add cardamom powder and fried chew and raisins and mix well.
8. Serve piping hot in a brass urli.

Recipe & Photograph by: Priya Narayan