Other Names Sarkarai Pongal. Sweet Pongal. Chakkara Pongal. Inippu Pongal.

Sometimes, even the common everyday dish is quite a bit challenge to make! The recipe may sound simple, but perfection? Yeah, that’s what I am talking about. A few tweaks to the dish makes it simply exquisite, you know! One such recipe is my Dad’s style of Chakara Pongal. Silk…smooth, ghee loaded, rich in color…aromatic, something from out of this world. I dunno, what he does. After paying some close attention. Here is what I learnt!

• Roast the lentils in ghee until reddish brown.
• Soak the lentils and rice in water for two hours
• Do not add any milk.
• Choose dark brown jaggery.
• Use more jaggery than you think, you’ll need.
• Add jaggery finally.
• Use more cardamom powder.
• A pinch of dried ginger for more flavor.
• A pinch of camphor will do enough trick.
• Pressure cook the rice-lentils until completely gooey.
• Use more ghee than you think you’ll need.
• Remove from heat, when it is still watery and not solid.

I have lot of sentiments towards this dish…besides being my Dad’s well-perfected recipe, it also happens to be my Mom’s last meal. Hmmm, without much adieu…off to the recipe.

Ingredients

• Raw rice 1/2 cup
• Broken mung dal 1/4 cup
• Grated jaggery 3/4 cup
• Cardamon seeds powder 1-2 spoons
• Raw camphor (edible one) 1-2 pinches
• Ghee 1+1 cup
• Cashew nuts 1/2 cup (halved)
• Dry grapes 1/2 cup

Method

1. Wash rice and dal separately several times until the water runs clear. Then soak them together for 20 minutes.
2. In a pressure cooker, add few spoons of ghee, rice and dal. Pressure cook them over medium heat till they become soft and mushy.
3. Then using a wooden ladle mix the well-cooked rice and dal.
4. To this add jaggery. Place this over medium heat without lid. Let it consolidate.
5. Add raw camphor to this now and remove from stove.
6. In a separate pan, heat ghee. Fry halved cashew nuts till golden to reddish brown. Set them aside. In the same ghee, fry dry grapes till they pop up.
7. To the above pongal, add fried cashew nuts, fried grapes and 1 cup of ghee. Mix through.
8. Serve warm as a main-sweet dish. Or serve chilled as  a dessert.