Chakarai Pongal
Sweet rice and moong dal porridge — raw rice and moong dal pressure-cooked with water and a generous amount of jaggery until the jaggery dissolves completely into the cooking liquid and the rice and dal collapse into a thick, golden, sweet porridge. Finished with a lavish tempering of ghee in which cashews are fried until golden, raisins until plump, cardamom pods until they begin to split, and a few edible camphor crystals (pacha karpooram) are dissolved. The ghee is poured over the pongal and folded in; the final pongal should be a deep golden-amber colour from the jaggery with a rich, almost fudge-like flavour. The most important naivedyam (food offering to deity) in Tamil Brahmin religious practice; made on Pongal festival, Vaikunta Ekadasi, and for the deity's birthday.
Cuisines
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Recipe
Ingredients
| 1/2 cup | raw rice |
| 1/4 cup | moong dal |
| 1 cup | jaggery |
| 3 cups | water |
| 1/4 cup | ghee |
| 10 | cashew nuts |
| 10 | raisins |
| 1/4 tsp | cardamom powder |
| 1 pinch | saffron |
| 1 pinch | salt |
Instructions
- 1 Wash the rice and moong dal together and soak them for 15 minutes.
- 2 In a pressure cooker, add the soaked rice and moong dal with 3 cups of water and cook for 3-4 whistles until soft.
- 3 In a separate pan, melt the jaggery with a little water until it dissolves completely, then strain to remove impurities.
- 4 Add the jaggery syrup to the cooked rice and dal mixture, and cook on low heat, stirring continuously.
- 5 In another pan, heat ghee and fry the cashew nuts until golden, then add raisins and fry until they puff up.
- 6 Add the fried cashews, raisins, cardamom powder, saffron, and a pinch of salt to the pongal.
- 7 Mix well and cook for a few more minutes until everything is combined and the pongal reaches the desired consistency.
Tips
For a richer flavor, you can add a tablespoon of coconut milk while cooking the pongal.