This is a very easy recipe for making pongal using Kalkandu (rock sugar). The addition of milk makes the dish so creamy! We will be using raw rice and split moong dal for making pongal. I like to use equal quantity of dal and rice for sweet pongal. Take quarter cup each of rice and split moong dal and soak it in water for one hour. After soaking, drain the water. Add in a cup of milk and a cup of water to the rice-dal mixture. Set aside.
We will be cooking the pongal in a pressure cooker today. I like to use the pot-in-pot method for cooking pongal as lentil and milk tend to spew out of the whistle if cooked directly. Milk and dal are notorious for spewing and scorching! Here is the pot-in-pot method – I place some water (about half a cup) in the cooker and place the bowl inside. This way the rice mixture does not scorch in the bottom. Cook for a good 15 minutes (10 whistles) on medium flame. Remove off heat and allow the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.
Take a pan and add in the cooked dal-rice mixture. Take the kalkandu – sugar and grind it coarsely to a powder and add it to the pan.
The mixture will loosen up after adding sugar. Thats OK. Keep stirring for couple of minutes.
Grind the cardamom in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Add it to the pan.
Take a pan and add in the ghee, cashewnut and raisin and fry till the nuts are brown. Add it to the pan. Switch off the flame and let it cool down for 20 minutes. The mixture will continue to thicken up as it cools.
Serve at room temperature.
You may also want to check,
பொங்கல் SAKKARAI PONGAL / SWEET PONGAL RECIPE
AKKARAVADISAL RECIPE, TAMILNADU AKKARAVADISAL, AKKARA ADISIL
Kalkandu Pongal Recipe, Kalkandu Sadam
Kalkandu Pongal recipe. Sweet Pongal made with Kalkandu-Sugar. Kalkandu – Sakkara / Chakkarai Pongal recipe.
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Ingredients
For cooking rice and dal
- 1/4 cup split yellow moong dal
- 1/4 cup raw rice
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Kalkandu ( Rock Sugar )
- 2 cardamom
- 3 teaspoon ghee
- 6 cashews, broken
- 10 raisins
Instructions
- Take quarter cup each of rice and split moong dal and soak it in water for one hour. After soaking, drain the water. Add in a cup of milk and a cup of water to the rice-dal mixture. Set aside.
- Cook the mixture in a pressure cooker (pot-in-pot method). Cook for a good 15 minutes (10 whistles) on medium flame. Remove off heat and allow the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.
- Take a pan and add in the cooked dal-rice mixture. Take the kalkandu – sugar and grind it coarsely to a powder and add it to the pan. Keep stirring for couple of minutes.
- Grind the cardamom in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Take a pan and add in the ghee, cashewnut and raisin and fry till the nuts are brown. Add in the cardamom and the fried nut mixture. Switch off the flame and let it cool down for 20 minutes. The mixture will continue to thicken up as it cools.
- Serve at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
hi,
i am new to your website and am loving it being here !! This post looks super yummy and am planning to make it. just have a question. is rock sugar different from normal sugar ? just curious 🙂
You can very well use normal sugar if you cant find kalkandu. It works just fine.
Superb,,mam instead of kal kandu canwe try with pana kal kandu
Sure Jayaraj. You can definitely substitute. Pananmkalkandu tastes divine 🙂