Sakkarai Pongal-Sweet Pongal

I have seen many people interchanging the words, Naivedyam and Prasdam. Before I post the traditional recipes for Naivedyam, I would like to tell the difference between the two briefly. What we make and submit to God is Naivedyam; Naivedyam is something which has not been tasted (in other words, adulterated) before giving to God. After we give to God, when we take it, it becomes Prasadam.

For every special occasion, sweet pongal (Paramannam in Telugu) is a must in our home. It’s fairly easy and since it’s filled with dry fruits, ghee and rice, it gives us lots of energy. Also it is believed that God’s love this Naivedyam. Another Naivedyam which is also a must is Pulihodarai (Tamarind rice). I will give recipes for both for now its only for sweet pongal.
Both the recipes are fairly common in Tamil Nadu/ Andhra.

Sweet Pongal:
Quantity serves 4.
Raw Rice (avoid Basmati): 1 cup
Moong Dal: ¼ cup
Cashew nuts: 1/8 cup
Raisins: 1/8 cup
Ghee: 5 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
Powdered Jaggery: ¼-1/2 cup
Milk: 3 cups

Method:
• Heat a pot and add a tbsp of ghee. When hot, roast the dry fruits and keep aside. In the same pot, add the moong dal and fry for a few minutes until you get the fragrance.
• To the same moong dal, add the raw rice and 3 cups of milk and 3 cups of water. (Rice to liquid consistency should be 1:6).
• You can either pressure cook this or cook it in a pot (like I did) until rice is over cooked (it will by the time all the liquid is gone).
• While the rice is being cooked, take a small pot and melt the jaggery in a cup of water. Bring this to a boil. If you see any dust particles, filter them out.
• When the rice is completely cooked and there is no more water in the pot, add the jaggery water. Simmer and let it be on the stove for another 5-8 minutes.
• Now add the remaining ghee, cardamom powder and dry fruits.

The famous naivedyam is ready! Remember that the rice thickens a bit after you remove from heat. Some people also add grated coconut to this.