Karumbu Chaaru Pongal | Sugarcane Juice Pongal

Karumbu chaaru pongal is a special sweet pongal made using fresh sugarcane juice, raw rice, moong dal and sugarcandy. It is not the regular sakkarai pongal and has a very unique taste. I usually make this during festival time or when sugarcane is easily available. This recipe tastes naturally sweet and is very aromatic too.

This dish has its sweetness from the sugarcane juice. It feels more light when compared to pongal made with jaggery or sugar. The flavor is fresh and bit different from the usual sweet dishes. It is a nice recipe to try if you like traditional sweets and want to make something different at home.

Jump to:

• About Karumbu Chaaru Pongal
• Karumbu Chaaru Pongal Ingredients
• How to make Karumbu Charu Pongal Step by Step
• Expert Tips
• Serving and Storage
• FAQS
• 📖 Recipe Card

About Karumbu Chaaru Pongal

Karumbu chaaru pongal is recipe made with raw rice, moong dal, sugarcane juice and sugar candy as main ingredients. Here Sugarcane juice is used instead of water or milk. It gives that natural sweetness and nice flavor to this recipe. This recipe is simple but it needs little patience while extracting the juice.

The texture of this pongal is soft, slightly gooey and moist. Rice and dal gets cooked well in the sugarcane juice itself. Once mashed well, it becomes creamy and smooth. Ghee added at the end gives good richness and enhances the taste more.

This recipe has a taste of mildly sweet with strong sugarcane flavor to this pongal. Sugar candy adds extra sweetness and slight crunch when it melts. Also the cardamom gives mild aroma which blends well with this recipe. Overall it tastes very comforting and feels very traditional.

I usually make this pongal fresh and serve it hot or warm. It tastes best on the same day itself. This recipe is a little different from usual pongal so it always feels special when made.

Karumbu Chaaru Pongal was very new to me until I saw this in the cookbook I had. This pongal has a very nice flavour of karumbu(sugarcane) and was most liked by everyone at home.Do try this Karumbu Chaaru Pongal for this year's Pongal festival.

Karumbu Chaaru Pongal Ingredients

• Raw rice - I have used raw rice for making this pongal. It cooks soft and gives a good texture. You can use pongal rice also if needed.
• Yellow moong dal - I add this for flavor and thickness, it gives soft texture when cooked well.
• Sugarcane juice - It acts as an alternative for sugar and jaggery. It adds natural sweetness and flavor. Use fresh and clean juice only for this recipe.
• Sugar candy - I add this to increase the sweetness. It melts and makes the pongal little gooey. You can skip it if you want mild sweet taste.
• Ghee - I melted and used it for richness and aroma. It enhances the taste a lot. You can add little more if you like.

Similar Recipes

• Paal pongal
• Millet sweet pongal
• Kalkandu pongal
• Pongal kuzhambu
• Medu Vada

How to make Karumbu Charu Pongal Step by Step

1.Peel off the hard sugarcane outer skin, then chop into small cubes. Transfer to a mixer. I did this in batches as I used my small mixer jar.

2.Add little water and grind it. Now drain the sugarcane extract in a strainer.

3.Squeeze it with your hands or press using a spoon. Keep a bowl underneath to hold the juice. Repeat this again if you feel the extract is juicy then grind again and discard. Then proceed grinding with next batch.

4.Measure and rice,dal. In a pressure pan roast dal till slightly golden, Set aside. Rinse rice and add it to cooker along with sugarcane juice.

5.Pressure cook for 4 whistles in low medium flame. Once rice is cooked, add sugar candy.

6.Stir it well, the sugar candy will melt  and it will turn goey. Mash the rice with a ladle. Add cardamom powder.

7.Mix well, finally heat 2 tablespoon ghee, add cashews fry till golden add it to the pongal, stir well and cook for 2 minutes.

Serve hot or warm.

Expert Tips

• Juice extraction - I make sure to strain the juice well. Any fibre left may affect the texture of the pongal.
• Dal roasting - I always roast moong dal till light golden only. This avoids raw smell after cooking.
• Cooking flame - I cook in low to medium flame only. High flame may burn the bottom part.
• Sweetness level - You can skip sugar candy if you want mild sweetness. Sugarcane juice itself is sweet enough.
• Mashing stage - I just mash the pongal well while it is hot itself. This makes it smooth and creamy.

Serving and Storage

Serve karumbu chaaru pongal hot or warm for best taste. It tastes very good when freshly made. You can drizzle little ghee on top before serving. This pongal is best eaten on same day. Refrigerating is not recommended as flavor may change.

FAQS

1.Can I skip sugar candy?

Yes you can skip it. it will still be sweet from sugarcane juice.

2.Can I make this without pressure cooker?

Yes you can cook in heavy bottom pan but it takes more time and stirring.

3.Why my pongal turned thick?

Sugarcane juice reduces while cooking. Add little hot water and mix well.

4.Can I add edible camphor?

Yes you can add a tiny pinch for extra flavor. Do not add more.

5.Is this pongal very sweet?

No it is mildly sweet. You can adjust sweetness as per your taste.

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