Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (2024)

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (1)

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (2)
Navratri is starting from today. I hope most of you would be planning to make some sundal variety along with Sakkarai pongal for today’s neivedyam. Every year we make paasi paruppu sundal and sweet pongal for first day. This year for a change I tried Iyengar special sweet pongal recipe with milk popularly known as “Akkaravadisal/Akkara adisal”. Iyengars make this for Koodaravalli festival during tamil month Margazhi.The term Akkaram is a literary word for Sugar or jaggery and the word Vadisal is a descriptive term for cooking by steaming or boiling.
Starting from this explanation till the recipe I have shared here are shared by my school friend Sumi Raghavan who is a Tamil (Iyengar) Brahmin.Whenever I look for Iyengar recipes, my first hand source is Sumi. She is so sweet to share her traditional recipes with me. Based on her recipe and method, I started to search for more ideas on net. You could find different recipes for this akkaravadisal. Some people use sugar candy ( Kalkandu) or sugar to make this sweet pongal. Some add equal amounts of jaggery and sugar. But I followed the recipe of my friend which is more of temple style.
Actually I came to know about this akkara adisal from a priest in Thirukannapuram Perumal temple. He told us that every morning nearly 12 ladies prepare this akkaravadisal in a wide bronze pot ( Venkala paanai) adding lots of ghee and serve it as kovil prasadam to all the devotees during Margazhi month. Though I couldn’t taste the prasadam,I was able to feel its taste from the way he explained. So I badly wanted to try and share this recipe in my blog. As he told, the taste of this creamy pudding like Akkaravadisal was truly flavorful & very rich in taste. Don’t hesitate to add the amount of ghee mentioned here. Ghee and the edible camphor(Pachai karpooram) are the star ingredients of this recipe.
So here you go authentic Iyengar style akkaravadisal preparation with stepwise pictures. Do make this for Koodaravalli and Navratri neivedyam and offer to God !!

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (3)

Akkaravadisal Recipe


Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (4) Iyengar style akkara adisal recipe - Sweet Pongal with milk.

INGREDIENTS


  • Raw rice(Good quality sona masoori) - 1/2 cup
  • Yellow moong dal - 2 tbsp
  • Milk – 4 to 5 cups
  • Water – 1/2 cup+ 1/4 cup for melting jaggery
  • Grated jaggery - 1/2 cup ( use dark colored jaggery to get this color.)
  • Crushed Sugar candy or sugar - 1/4 cup
  • Cardamom - 3 nos (crushed)
  • Edible camphor/Pachai karpooram - 2 pinches
  • Ghee - 1/4 cup+ 2 tbsp ( Rice & ghee ratio is 1:1, but I used less)
  • Cashew nuts - a fistful
  • Saffron threads - Few ( soak in 2 tbsp milk)
  • Salt - a pinch

HOW TO MAKE AKKARAVADISAL - METHOD

  • Wash and soak the rice, dal in milk for 30 minutes adding 4 cups of milk + 1/2 cup of water. Alternatively you can roast rice and moong dal in a tsp of ghee and soak in milk. But I din’t roast moong dal & rice. ( If you want to follow traditional temple method, cook the rice & dal in an open pot by stirring every now & then. Else it will burn in the bottom. If cooking in pot, quantity of milk would be more.)
  • Soak saffron thread in warm milk and set aside.

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (5)

  • Take a pressure cooker and add the soaked rice, dal, milk,,water, a pinch of salt to it. Put a small plate inside the cooker to avoid splashing while the cooker whistles. Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 to 3 whistles. It takes more time to cook as we are cooking rice in milk. So be patient.

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (6)

  • In the mean time, boil the jaggery adding 1/4 cup of water and let it melt. Strain the jaggery syrup using a filter , add sugar or crushed sugar candy ( kalkandu), mix well and keep aside.

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (7)

  • After the steam is released from the cooker, remove the plate and mash the rice very well. Add 1/2 cup of milk and mix well to bring semi solid consistency. Add the jaggery syrup+ sugar or crushed sugar candy to this. Let the mixture boil for a minute. Akkaravadisal should be in semi solid state unlike our usual sweet pongal. It will tend to thicken as time proceeds. So add more boiled milk ( Say 1/2 cup) and adjust its consistency at this stage or before you serve if needed.

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (8)

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (9)

  • Roast the nuts in 1/4 cup of ghee and add to the pongal. Switch off the flame, add cardamom powder, saffron soaked milk, edible camphor / Pachai karpooram, mix well and offer to God. Enjoy ! I drizzled 2 tbsp of ghee on the serving bowl to give a ghee dripping pongal look ;)

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (10)

Note

  • Traditionally akkaravadisal is made by cooking rice in milk in a wide bronze pot. But I used pressure cooker to make it easily.
  • You can grind the rice coarsely and pressure cook it for easy and quick cooking.
  • You can also add equal amount of rice & moong dal if you like.
  • Ratio of rice & jaggery+ sugar is 1: 1.5.
  • Adding edible camphor gives the temple style flavor. So don’t skip it. But do not add more. Just a big pinch would do.
  • For variations, you can add equal amount of sugar or sugar candy ( Kalkandu) mixed with jaggery.

Iyengar style akkaravadisal is ready to serve !

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (11)

Akkaravadisal (Akkara Adisal) Recipe - Iyengar Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Akkaravadisal and Sakkarai Pongal hebbars? ›

In Akkaravadisal the rice is cooked completely in milk whereas in sakkarai pongal it is optional to use milk to cook the rice. The second difference is in the ratio of moong dal and rice. In sakkarai pongal, the quantity of the moong dal is more. In Akkaravadisal, it is optional and you can skip it completely.

Which raw rice is best for pongal? ›

Ponni rice has a unique flavor and texture that makes it a popular choice for a wide range of dishes, including traditional South Indian dishes like Pongal, idli, and dosa. It is also easy to digest and is suitable for people who have digestive issues.

Which rice is best for pongal? ›

Traditionally pongal recipe is made with newly harvested short grain rice & moong dal as they give the best gooey texture to the dish. Aged rice & dal is not so go good to achieve that texture. Cow's ghee is used to temper the dish as it is more favoured for religious offerings & the aroma is great.

What is the difference between ven pongal and Sakkarai Pongal? ›

Difference between ven pongal and sakkarai pongal? Even though both the recipes are made with common ingredients like rice and dal. Ven pongal is tempered with whole spices, ginger and green chillies. sakkarai pongal has jaggery, cardamom powder, cashews and raisins.

What is the meaning of Sakkarai Pongal? ›

'Sakkarai' is the Tamil word for sugar but oddly enough Sakkarai Pongal is usually cooked with jaggery and not sugar. The melting of the jaggery is the key process in this dish, which is blended with a rice and green gram mixture.

What is Sakkarai Pongal made of? ›

Sweet pongal is a traditional sweet dish made with rice, moong dal, jaggery, ghee, nuts & raisins. Also known as or chakkara pongal in Telugu, sakkarai pongal in Tamil, it is made during Hindu festivals.

What is the difference between UPMA and Pongal? ›

Rava (Rawa) Pongal is a type of healthy upma because it's made with protein packed mung daal. The mung daal also provides great texture to the normally soft sooji upma.

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