Temple Style Kalkandu Pongal/Sugar Candy Pongal is so rich, creamy, and delicious Pongal which is prepared with raw rice, milk, and sugar candy as the main ingredients. As the Pongal festival is nearing I thought this would be the perfect time to share this scrumptious Pongal.
To make this recipe, either you can use the diamond-shaped sugar candy or rock sugar. If using rock sugar you need to powder it and then add it to the recipe. Otherwise, it will not dissolve properly. As I used sugar candy, I added it directly to the cooked rice. It just melts in a few mins. I did not add moong dal to this Pongal as we do it for Sarkkarai Pongal. If you want to add, dry roast 2 tbsps of moong dal and add it while pressure cooking.
Without moong dal too, the Pongal was so rich in taste due to the milk. Adding saffron gives a nice golden color to the Pongal. Usually, in Temple, they add saffron. If you want your Pongal to be in white color, then you can skip the saffron part. It is up to you what you want to add to your Pongal. Also, add only a small pinch of edible camphor (a small mustard seed size). If you add more, it will overpower the taste of the Pongal. Now let us see how to prepare this recipe.
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- 1/2 cup Raw Rice
- 1/2 cup Sugar candy/Kalkandu
- 1 cup Water to pressure cook
- 1 cup Full Fat Milk to pressure cook
- 1/2 cup Full Fat Milk to add after pressure cooked
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 Pinch Saffron
- 1 Edible Camphor/Pacchai karpuram
- 10 Cashews
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- Soak rice in water at least for 1/2 an hour. Powder the Elaichi and set it aside. In a tbsp of Ghee roast cashews and set aside. Soak a pinch of saffron in a tbsp of hot milk.
- In a pressure cooker, add soaked rice, 1 cup water, 1 cup milk, and pressure cook on a medium flame for 3 whistles.
- Once the pressure releases naturally, open the lid. Mash the cooked rice thoroughly. Rice should be mushy for Pongal.
- Now turn on the stove again. Add sugar candy and mix well until the sugar candy is dissolved completely. It takes around 5 mins to dissolve completely. Along with this, add the remaining 1/2 a cup of milk and mix well until the Pongal slightly thickens.
- Add the saffron milk and mix well. Pongal changes to a beautiful golden color due to saffron.
- Now add salt, cardamom powder, crush edible camphor, half of the roasted cashews, and mix well.
- Keep the Pongal slightly in flowy consistency. Once it gets cooled, Pongal thickens. Add the remaining ghee and mix well. Kalkandu Pongal is ready.
- Soak rice at least for half an hour.
- A specified amount of rock candy was enough for this recipe as rock candy is too sweet than regular sugar.
- You can also add two tablespoons of grated or the bits of coconut fried in ghee to garnish additionally.
- If you want to keep your Pongal white in color, then you can skip the saffron soaked milk.
Delicious Temple Style Kalkandu Pongal is ready to serve God as Prashad.
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