Chakkera Pongali / Sweetened Rice

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Recipe Cooked, Photographed and Written by Praveena

PrepTime:15 mins CookTime:10 mins Cuisine:Indian

Chakkera Pongali / Sweetened rice, is a traditional recipes generally offered in South India Temples. Where, Chakkera means Sugar. Its mainly, by default, prepared / preferred during a festival called Makara Sankranthi during January, especially in South Indian states. Its not said this dish cannot be made any other time of the year/occasion.

I prepare this sweet dish every year compulsorily for Sankranthi and even for major festivals. It takes just exactly 5 to 10 mins to prepare this Pongali, if you have cooked rice & dal ready with you.

It can be a categorised as a dairy free dish, if you can eliminate the ghee/butter part. But, I must say, whole of the flavour of this platter reveals only after adding the ghee/butter.

This is a Gluten free, lentil based, protein rich, Indian sweet dish! Go for it then! 🙂

Before starting to cook, don’t forget to see the Tips mentioned at the end.

My other dessert/sweet recipes here⇒ Desserts / Mithayi

Indian festival recipes collection⇒ Traditional Indian Recipes for Festivals / Panduga Nayivedyalu

Festive platter collections here⇒ Vindhu Bhojanam / Festive Lunch

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Ingredients:

Cooked Rice – 1½ cups (for METHOD-1 in procedure)
(or) Uncooked Rice grains – 1 cup (for METHOD-2 in procedure)
Chana Dal / Split Yellow Lentils / Senagapappu – ¼ to ½ cup
Sugar – ½ cup to ¾ cup
Water – for washing & cooking
Dry Fruits & Nuts – one fistful
Ghee / Butter – 6 to 8 tablespoons
Cardamom / Elaichi – 4
Saffron – 7 to 8 strands

Special Ingredients:

Chana Dal / Split Yellow Lentils / Senagapappu
Ghee / Butter

Procedure for Chakkera pongali / Sweetened rice:

METHOD-1: If left-over rice / already cooked rice is used
Keep the rice aside.
Wash the chana dal/ senagapappu/ split lentils twice.
Take into a pressure cooker, add water just to soak the dal and cook it up to 3 whistles. Put it aside.

Cup of split Chickpeas/Chana dal

Lentils washed and ready to cook

METHOD-2: If uncooked rice grains are used
Take both the rice grains and dal / split lentils / senagapappu, together into a vessel / pressure cooker, wash them thoroughly 2 to 3 times.
Add 2 cups of water, pressure cook for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release. Set aside.
COMMON STEPS FOR BOTH METHODS
Now, chop the nuts keep aside.
Take a pan , (big enough to fit in the entire dish) put it on stove top under medium flame.
Add a tablespoon of ghee / butter into the pan, let it heat.
Next, add the dry fruits, nuts and fry them until they turn golden brown.

Transfer all the cooked rice and dal, sugar, elaichi powder and saffron strands.

Adding rice,dal,elaichi powder and saffron strands into the pan

Adding sugar to the recipe
Mix up everything thoroughly from all sides, such that the rice, dal and sugar are coated over each other.
Let the pan sit on the stove with flame for up to 3-4 mins, for the sugar to melt up completely.
Keep mixing in between, gently mash the rice using the ladle to make it mushy. (if you prefer)
Add all the remaining ghee / butter to the pan.

Mixing up everything, except ghee/butter

Adding ghee/butter to the pan.

Mix up the the butter / ghee . Add more ghee if needed.
At a stage the ghee releases from the sides of the pan, this takes 3-4 mins.
Then, remove the the pan from stove top and transfer to serving bowl. Done!!
Final stage, before taking into a serving bowl

Tips:

Vegans, can substitute the ghee/butter with coconut oil .
You can use already cooked rice or get the rice – dal cooked together.
Be generous while adding the ghee/butter, this itself enhances the taste of the entire dish.
I use only unrefined raw cane sugar rather than the refined white sugar. But you can use any.
I added the saffron strands as it is. You can put them in hot water, for a while and then add to the pan along with the water.
You can add small pieces of dry coconut while frying the dry fruits. I did not have them while I was making the Pongali, hence I could not.
This stays fresh up to 1 day at room temperature and 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Result:

Of course, Chakkera pongali / sweetened rice, would be sweet in taste and the flavour of ghee/butter dominates even before you start eating it.
The chana dal / split lentils, fill its part in every spoon, which adds the extra relish.
This sweet dish has rice and dal/pulses in it, and hence it is protein rich, nicely fills in the gap of carbs and makes it easily digestible by the body.
Platter of delectable ‘Chakkera Pongali’ / ‘Sweetened Rice’

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