Sweet Pongal / Temple-style Sakkarai Pongal (Instant Pot)

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5 from 58 votes

Sweet Pongal / Temple-style Sakkarai Pongal (Instant Pot)

Sweet Pongal is a refined-sugar-free dessert made using rice, moong dal, and jaggery as the main ingredients.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

½ cup rice
½ cup moong dal (yellow lentils)
¾-1 cup jaggery
1 cup milk
¼ cup ghee (use store-bought or homemade ghee)
¼ cup cashew
2 tablespoon raisins
2 cloves
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
¼ cup desiccated coconut
3 cups water

Instructions

Set Instant Pot in saute mode and add 1 tablespoon of ghee.
Add the cashew and saute for one minute.
Once it begins to brown, add the raisins. Fry for a few seconds until they begin to plump. Set them aside.
Next, add the moong dal to the pot. Saute for one minute.
Add the rice, cloves, milk, and 2 cups of water. Mix well and deglaze the pot. Secure the IP lid.
Set the Instant Pot in pressure cook mode for 10 minutes. Do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
Open the lid and set the IP to saute mode. Lightly mash the cooked dal-rice.
Add the jaggery, coconut, one cup of water, and the remaining ghee. Mix well and let it be in saute mode (low) for 5 minutes.
Add cardamom powder and fried cashew and raisins.
Mix well and serve hot.

Video

Notes

After pressure cooking the dal and rice, add more water and adjust the consistency as per your preference. You can either keep it dry or make it slightly runny (which I prefer).

This dish tastes best when made with jaggery. However, if jaggery is not available, you may replace it with raw sugar.

Sweet Pongal served in temples has a small amount of edible camphor added to it. You may add a small pinch of edible camphor.

Use milk to make a richer-tasting Pongal. However, you may replace it with water or plant-based milk for a vegan version. I use a 1:1 rice-to-dal ratio. You may adjust it as per your preference.

Nutrition