SAKKARAI PONGAL I KOVIL SAKKARAI PONGAL I SWEET PONGAL I PONGAL FESTIVAL RECIPES

Hi dear friends, WISH YOU ALL VERY HAPPY PONGAL!!!

Sakkarai pongal is very popular in South Indian, especially in Tamil Nadu. Kovil sakkarai pongal is all time favorite and am great addict to the sweet pongal. Generally, in kovil (Temple) offers the sweet pongal which is give the aromatic flavor and melting taste. 

In my place, we used to give the sakkarai pongal as prasadham during Mariamman Temple festival for the devotees. Every year, we are enjoy that day and we always keep little amount of the sweet pongal for 2-3 days in refrigeration and have it when our sweet tooth tempts…J In kovil sakkarai pongal, they won’t use moong dal or milk to prepare the delicious pongal. Eagerly, waiting for the festival which starts next month… The secret ingredients for the kovil pongal are sukku (dry ginger), kadukkai (Nutmeg), elakkai (cardamom) and pachai karpooram (edible camphor powder). I prepared the pongal in pressure cooker as easy method.

Today Spicy Treats of +Sangeetha aks celebrates her blog (3rd) anniversary. Am really very happy for her, that she achieves more in her blog and great wishes to achieve more and more in future... We love her recipes and photographs and more over she is so kind and caring sister. Am really excited and happy to share the delicious recipe for her, as she is my inspiration to start my blog and she is the first follower and commented of my blog... I never forget :) Keep rocking aks... Once again very HAPPY BLOG BABY BIRTHDAY :) 

The traditional recipe of kovil sakkarai pongal for TST-Tamizhar Samayal Tuesday which is the brainchild of +nalini akka from  Nalini’s Kitchen. The event runs every 2^nd and 4^th week of every month.  

Category	Rice
Regional	Indian
Preparation Time	10 Minutes
Cooking Time	20-30 Minutes
Servings	6

INGREDIENTS

Raw rice – 2 ½ Cups (½ Kg) – I used Ponni raw rice

Jaggery – 2 Cup, packed (400 g)

Dry ginger – 1” Piece – 1

Nutmeg – 1

Cardamom – 5

Edible camphor – Pinch  

Salt – ½ Tsp

Ghee – 3 Tbsp

Cashew nuts – 15

Raisins – 15

Water – 7 Cups

METHOD

• Wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes.
• Make small pieces of jaggery and then powder the dry ginger, nutmeg, cardamom separately by using mortar and pestle or in blender.
• Take one Tsp of dry ginger powder, one Tsp of nutmeg powder and add cardamom powder with edible camphor.
• Pressure cooks the rice with 7 cups of water till 6 whistles and switch off the flame.

• Now add 1 Tbsp of water to the jaggery and make syrup till the jaggery melts completely.
• Heat 1 Tbsp ghee in pan; roast the cashew nuts and raisins and keep it aside.
• Mash the cooked rice well with ladle and then add the jaggery syrup via coffee filter and mix it well till everything combines and keep the flame on low level.
• Now add the dry ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and edible camphor to the mixture and mix it well.

• Add ghee roasted cashew nuts and raisins then add 2 Tbsp of ghee to the pongal and mix it well.

• Stir it for one minute and then switch off the flame.
• Serve it hot…J

NOTE

• Don’t add too much of nutmeg powder, 2 ½ Cup rice needs 1 Tsp of nutmeg powder only.
• Edible camphor is optional; but kovil pongal they will add.
• The color of the pongal will depends on color of jaggery, if you use dark jaggery the pongal will be in good brown color.

ENJOY THE TASTIEST SWEET PONGAL!!!

ONCE AGAIN WISH YOU ALL VERY HAPPY PONGAL!!!