Chakkara Pongali Recipe - Andhra style sweet pongal recipe prepared with sugar, milk, rice and dal. As Varalakshmi Vratham is fast approaching, I wanted to share some neivedyam recipes. I found Chakkara Pongal is most commonly prepared for all the festivals in Andhra. Basically Telugu people make two types of sweet pongal recipes. One with sugar and the other one with jaggery called as bellam pongali. Today I have shared chakkara pongal recipe with milk and sugar with step by step pictures and video.
My neighbor Sowjanya who taught me poornam boorelu shared her traditional way of making chakkara pongali recipe without moong dal. Yes, I used chana dal instead of moong dal. This chakkara pongal preparation is completely different from Tamil nadu sakkarai pongal. In Tamil nadu style sweet pongal recipe, moong dal and jaggery is used. When Sowjanya told me to use chana dal and sugar, I was surprised to see the variation.
I tried this sweet pongal for Friday Lakshmi Poojaneivedyam. Traditionally, this pongal has to be prepared by cooking rice and dal in milk in a pot. But I used pressure cooker to save time. Chakkara pongal came out really well. I passed this prasadam to Sowjanya for her feedback about its taste and color. She told it tasted really good. I was very happy to hear this from her as its my first attempt.
Of course all the credits goes to her for giving me the measurements precisely. She also shared some variations in this recipe. I have mentioned those points in NOTES section. Ok, lets see how to make Andhra style chakkara pongal recipe with step by step photos and video. This week I will try to share more neivedyam recipes for Varalakshmi viratham. Stay tuned !
Raw rice – 1/2 cup (Use good quality Sona masoori)
Chana dal Or Moong dal - 1.5 tbsp
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp( or Dry coconut powder)
Cashew nuts - 5 nos
Dry grapes - 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
How to make the Andhra Chakkara Pongali recipe
Wash and keep the raw rice aside.
Heat 2 tsp ghee in a cooker base. Roast chana dal or moong dal till golden with nice aroma.
Add washed rice, water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles in low flame.
Mash it well.Add milk, sugar, cardamom powder and grated coconut. Mix well.
Boil in low flame for 5 minutes.Consistency should not be too thick.
Roast the nuts in ghee and add to pongal, mix well.Enjoy !
Chakkara Pongal Recipe - Step by step pictures
Wash the rice and keep aside. Heat 2 tsp ghee in a cooker base. Roast the chana dal till golden with nice smell.
Add 2 cups of water, washed rice and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 2 to 3 whistles in low flame. Dal won't become mushy.It should be visible in the mashed rice.
Add sugar, milk, cardamom powder and freshly grated coconut or dry coconut powder. Mix well and boil in low flame for 5 minutes. Make sure bottom is not burnt. Mix whenever needed.
Remove when its semi solid and keep aside. Roast the chopped nuts and dry grapes in the remaining 2.5 tbsp ghee. Roast till dry grapes puff up and cashew becomes golden.
Add to the pongal. Mix well. If the pongal is too thick, add some boiled milk and bring to the desired consistency. You can reheat this pongal adding little water or milk and serve it after the pooja. It tastes fresh and good when served hot. Andhra style chakkara pongali is ready. Try this for festivals and enjoy !
Notes
For variations, You can add moong dal instead of chana dal.
You can pressure cook the rice and dal adding milk instead of water. In that case, you should add nearly 3 cups of milk.
Cardamom powder is a must. You can also add few saffron threads to make it rich.
My neighbor told me to cook rice and dal in a pot adding milk. But I cooked them in a pressure cooker to save time.
Andhra style sweet pongal recipe with milk & sugar is ready for neivedyam. Try this for festivals and enjoy !
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