Sweet pongal aka bellam pongali is a creamy lentil and rice dish made for Sankranthi festival. This temple style chakkara pongal is flavored with spices and is absolutely delicious. My instant pot version is easy and fuss-free.
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Pongal is a winter harvest festival celebrated across India. The festival marks the end of winter solstice and the start of sun's six-month long journey northwards (source - wiki).
The festival gets its name the tradition of "pongal", which means to boil or overflow. And refers to the dish that is prepared with new harvest of rice and lentils boiled in milk and jaggery. Hence people make sweet pongal and offer to god to mark the festival.
This dish is called with quite a few names - chakkara pongali in Telugu, sakkarai pongal in Tamil. No matter what the name, this is a creamy and delicious dish made with handful of ingredients.
Recipe for this temple style chakkara pongali comes from Chandra Padmanabhan's cookbook Dakshin. The addition of warm spices gives the dish a lot of flavor and makes this taste just like the ones served in temples.
Traditionally this recipe is made on the stove top. But this bellam pongali is easy to make in the pressure cooker or the Instant pot. I have included instructions for both the methods in the recipe card below.
Ingredients
The main ingredients needed to make this recipe are:
- Rice - I use sona masoori rice. Any medium grain rice would work. Basmati rice is not recommended.
- Moong dal aka green gram dal
- Jaggery - I prefer jaggery powder because it is convenient. But you can also use cubed jaggery, grate them before using. Though not traditional, brown sugar or coconut sugar are acceptable alternatives.
Other ingredients you need:
- Milk - either 2% or whole milk. If you want to make it vegan, then use almond or oat milk
- Ghee - if you want to make it vegan, then use oil or vegan butter
- Dry fruit - cashews & raisins
- spices - ground cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and saffron
Instructions
Easy Instant pot Sweet Pongal:
Set Instant pot (IP) on 'Saute'. Add the moong dal and dry roast it for 2~3 minutes or until fragrant and the color changes to light golden brown. Turn off IP. Remove roasted dal into a sieve or bowl and wash it along with the rice.
Return dal and rice to the IP. Add water and milk, mix well. Set the IP to 'manual' or 'pressure cook' for 8 minutes. Once done, let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes and then do a quick release.
While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the jaggery syrup. Combine jaggery and water in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until jaggery dissolves and the syrup thickens a little bit, about 3~5 minutes.
Add the syrup to cooked rice and dal. Mix well.
Heat ghee in a small pan, add the cashews and raisins and fry till golden. Add this to the pongal. Finally stir in the ground cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and saffron. Mix well and serve!!
Tips
- If you are making this bellam pongali recipe in the pressure cooker, then do not use the weight/ whistle. Milk will boil over if you cook with the whistle.
- Use whole or 2% milk for the best texture.
- You can use 50:50 combination of jaggery and sugar in the recipe.
- I prefer using jaggery powder because it is very convenient but you can use grated cubed jaggery.
- Though not traditional, brown sugar or coconut sugar are acceptable alternatives to jaggery.
- If the mixture looks too thick after adding the jaggery syrup, then add a little water or milk to thin it out. In this case, warm the mixture to heat it through.
- Leftover pongal can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Warm briefly before serving.
FAQ
Absolutely. Use plant based milk, almond & oat would work beautifully. Also sub the ghee with vegan butter.
Traditionally, newly harvested medium grain rice is used to make this dish. I use sona masoori rice that cooks into a smooth texture.
Few more recipes to try for Sankranthi
- Ven pongal
- Barley pulihora
- Bellam payasam
- Aratikaya annam (plantain rice)
- Sesame ricotta burfi
- Puliyodarai
- South Indian vegetable rice
I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don't forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cook_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.
Sweet Pongal (Bellam Pongali)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Moong dal/ Pesarapappu/ Green gram dal
- 1 cup Rice
- 2½ cups Water
- 1 cup Milk
- 1½~2 cups Jaggery, grated*
- 3 tablespoons Ghee
- 2 tablespoons Cashews
- 2 tablespoons Raisins
- 1¼ teaspoon Ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- A few strands of Saffron
Instructions
Pressure Cooker Method:
- Heat a pressure cooker on medium heat, dry roast the green gram dal for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Remove roasted dal into a sieve or bowl and wash it along with the rice.
- Return dal and rice to the IP. Add water and milk, mix well. Cook without the whistle for 20~30 minutes on medium flame till rice and dal are very tender.
- While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the jaggery syrup. Combine jaggery and water in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until jaggery dissolves and the syrup thickens a little bit, about 3~5 minutes.
- Add the syrup to cooked rice and dal. Mix well.
- Heat ghee in a small pan, add the cashews and raisins and fry till golden. Add this to the pongal. Finally stir in the ground cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and saffron. Mix well and serve!!
Instant Pot Method:
- Set Instant pot (IP) on 'Saute'. Add the moong dal and dry roast it for 2~3 minutes or until fragrant and the color changes to light golden brown. Turn off IP. Remove roasted dal into a sieve or bowl and wash it along with the rice.
- Return dal and rice to the IP. Add water and milk, mix well. Set the IP to 'manual' or 'pressure cook' for 8 minutes. Once done, let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes and then do a quick release.
- While the rice and lentils are cooking, make the jaggery syrup. Combine jaggery and water in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until jaggery dissolves and the syrup thickens a little bit, about 3~5 minutes.
- Add the syrup to cooked rice and dal. Mix well.
- Heat ghee in a small pan, add the cashews and raisins and fry till golden. Add this to the pongal. Finally stir in the ground cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and saffron. Mix well and serve!!
Notes
- If you like a sweeter pongal, add more jaggery.
- If you are making this sweet pongali recipe in the pressure cooker, then do not use the weight/ whistle. Milk will boil over if you cook with the whistle.
- You can use 50:50 combination of jaggery and sugar in the recipe.
- I prefer using jaggery powder because it is very convenient but you can use grated cubed jaggery.
- Though not traditional, brown sugar or coconut sugar are acceptable alternatives to jaggery.
- If the mixture looks too thick after adding the jaggery syrup, then add a little water or milk to thin it out. In this case, warm the mixture to heat it through.
- Leftover pongal can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Warm briefly before serving.
- To make vegan sweet pongal - use plant based milk, almond & oat would work beautifully. Also sub the ghee with vegan butter.
Priya Srinivasan
Oh yum yum!!! i always make it in open pan and make the our savory pongal in cooker!!! Beautiful clicks and i love that spice box, cute!!
Srivalli
Pavani, the caramelized texture of your jaggary looks amazing..I always like my bellam pongali like this..your spice box is so cute!