Sakkarai Pongal in Electric Rice Cooker / Sweet Pongal in Electric Rice Cooker

Sakkarai Pongal, also known as Sweet Pongal, is a traditional South Indian dish prepared to celebrate the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal, which falls in the Tamil month of Thai. This classic dessert holds cultural and festive significance and is a must-have during the celebrations in Tamil Nadu. Made with raw rice, green gram dal (moong dal), jaggery, and milk, Sakkarai Pongal is rich, aromatic, and indulgent, offering the perfect blend of sweetness and creamy texture.

Traditionally, this festive dish is prepared in an open pot, which requires constant attention and time. However, using an electric rice cooker simplifies the cooking process while preserving the authentic taste and texture of the dish. This method eliminates the need for constant stirring, allowing you to enjoy perfectly cooked sakkarai pongal with less effort. The rice and dal are cooked to a soft, melt-in-the-mouth consistency and are infused with the sweetness of jaggery, a hint of cardamom, and the richness of ghee. A generous topping of roasted cashews and raisins enhances the flavor and adds a delightful crunch.

Whether you’re celebrating Pongal, a special occasion, or simply craving a comforting dessert, this sakkarai pongal recipe is a perfect choice. With the convenience of the electric rice cooker, you can now recreate this traditional Tamil Nadu delicacy in a fraction of the time, without compromising on its delicious taste or festive spirit.

 Ingredients

Raw rice -1 cup

Green gram dal-1/4 cup (slightly dry roast)

Jaggery-1 & 3/4 cup

Raw milk-1 cup (boiled milk can be used too)

Water-5 cups

Cardamom powder-1/4 tsp

Salt a pinch

Saffron- a pinch

Edible camphor (pacchai karpooram)-a pinch

 

Cashew and raisins few

Ghee-4 Tbsps

Recipe Video

Method

👉In a bowl add the raw rice. 

👉Dry roast the green gram dal until light golden brown colour and add it to the rice.

👉Now wash the rice and dal well and soak in water for 10 mins.(Note- soaking is optional)

👉Later add the rice and dal mixture into the inner container of the rice cooker after draining the water.

👉Add 1 cup milk and 5 cups water to it.

👉Add 1 Tbsp ghee and mix everything well. 

Close the rice cooker with lid and switch on to Cook mode.

👉Meanwhile add jaggery in a pan add 1/2 cup water and melt the jaggery completely and bring to a boil. Then strain the jaggery to remove impurities. Set aside.

👉Heat 1 Tbsp ghee add cashews and raisins and saute until golden brown set aside.

👉Check the rice and dal mixture after 10-15 mins. It would have started boiling give it a good stir and again close with the lid.

👉After 1/2 hour the rice dal mixture would be cooked ,mash the pongal well.

👉Once the rice and dal is completely cooked add the jaggery syrup, cardamom powder, salt,edible camphor and saffron and finally add the fried cashews and raisins and mix everything well.

👉When the pongal thickens the mode will come to Warm mode this means the pongal is done. You can either leave it in rice cooker itself until serving or transfer to a container.

👉Delicious sakkarai pongal is ready to enjoy.

Preparation Time-30 mins

Serves-3-4 

Note

✍️Use new raw rice (pudhu pacchai arisi) or pongal rice which is readily available in super markets, if not regular raw rice is also ok.

✍️Adding atleast 5 -6 cups of water apart from 1 cup of milk will make the pongal soft, mushy and gooey .

✍️Boiled milk can also be used instead of raw milk.

✍️If the rice cooker comes to Warm mode but still if the rice needs to be cooked you can add extra water and again switch back to Cook mode.

✍️Always take the pongal in slightly gooey consistency as it will thicken after some time.

✍️Add extra ghee if the pongal is too dry.

✍️Stir the pongal occassionally and mash it well while cooking.

✍️Add the jaggery syrup only after the rice and dal are completely cooked.