Celebrate the spirit of the 2025 Harvest Festival in a sweet way! Our expert chef Arokiya Doss shares the best recipe of the traditional Sakkarai Pongal, a classic dessert from South India.
As the 2025 harvest festival approaches, the sweetness of the Sakkarai Harvest Festival is all around us and delighting our palates. This sweet treat is a traditional delicacy from South India and an essential part of Pongal celebrations. Sakkarai Pongal is a combination of jaggery, ghee, and cardamom, designed to evoke the warmth and joy of the harvest season. In this article, we share the best Sakkarai Pongal recipe from Chef Arokiya Doss of Malabar Coast Hotel, Noida. How to Make Sakkarai Pongal at Home?
To make Sakkarai Pongal, first wash the rice and lentils thoroughly and cook them together until they become soft. Then prepare the molasses syrup by dissolving the ground molasses in water and straining the impurities from it. Now mix the rice flour mixture with jaggery syrup and cook until well mixed. Then sauté the cashews and raisins in ghee and add cardamom powder for flavor and richness. Finally, mix the ingredients with Sakkarai Pongal and serve!
Sakkarai Pongal Recipe Recipe
Total time: 50 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Large helping: 4
Cooking level: Low
Class: Sweet
Calories: 300
Dishes: India
Author: Jyoti Sethi
raw material
1/2 cup raw rice
1/4 cup yellow lentils (mung beans)
1 cup grated molasses
3 cups water to cook rice and lentils
3 tablespoons ghee (clarified cream)
10-12 bananas
8-10 raisins
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
A little edible camphor (optional)
step 1:
Wash the raw rice and yellow beans thoroughly. Then add three cups of water and cook the mixture in a pressure cooker three times until it softens and becomes mushy.
Step 2:
Dissolve the ground molasses in half a cup of water and heat it on low heat. Then strain the impurities and set aside.
Step 3:
In a thick-bottomed pan, combine the rice-bean mixture with the jaggery syrup. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t stick to the pan.
Step 4:
Heat some butter in a small pan and fry the cashews and raisins until golden brown. Then add the cardamom powder and a pinch of edible camphor (if using) to the mixture.
Step 5:
Mix the fried cashews and raisins into the Sakkarai Pongal. Mix well, cook for another 2-3 minutes and serve!