Kalkandu Pongal | Pongal Festival Recipes

Kalkandu Pongal

The  recipe I am sharing with you all today is Kalkandu Pongal. I made this Kalkandu Pongal today to celebrate Pongal festival. This is a sweet pongal made with Kalkandu (sugar candy). It is easy to make and is yummy. I have already shared the recipe of Sakkarai Pongal here. Coming to today's recipe,

Pongal made with sugar candy/ kalkandu

Kalkandu Pongal Recipe

Sweet Pongal made with Sugar Candy (Kalkandu). Traditional Recipe for Pongal Festival.
Recipe Developed, Cooked and clicked by : Divya Prakash
Published : January 15, 2014
Prep time : 10 mins  Cook time : 35 mins  Total time : 45 mins
Yield : 2-3 servings

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Ingredients :

• Rice : 1/2 cup
• Moong dal : 2 tablespoons
• Water : 2 cups
• Milk : 1 cup
• Kalkandu (Sugar Candy) : 3/4 -1 cup
• Cardamom : 4-5 nos.
• Ghee : about 3 tablespoons
• Cashews : 7-8 nos.
• Raisins : 10-12 nos.

Instructions :

1. In a pressure cooker, roast the moong dal till slight aroma comes and then add the washed rice and 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
2. Then after the pressure is released, mash the rice well and add about 1 cup of milk and mix well and place the cooker on the stove and turn it on. Cook till the rice starts to thicken.
3. In the mean time, powder the sugar candy and add it to the rice and mix well.
4. Remove the cardamom seeds, discard the skin and powder the seeds with a tablespoon of sugar. Then add the powdered cardamom to the rice and mix well.
5. Then fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add it to the rice and mix well.
Kalkandu pongal is ready to serve.

Notes :

• You can make this pongal without adding milk too. In that case you can increase the water quantity by additional 1/2 cup.
• If you are using diamond kalkandu, powdering kalkandu is optional. You can add them as is and they will melt. But powdering will speed up the process.
• While cooking maintain the heat in low-medium only, to avoid the pongal getting burnt at the bottom.
• For additional flavor, you can add few saffron strands and pinch of edible camphor too.

Sweet pongal