Add ¾ cup rice to the roasted dal. Pour water and rinse them well a few times. Be
careful as the pot is too hot here. Drain the water and pour 4 cups fresh water. The
quantity of water may vary slightly depending on the kind of rice. You can also use 3 cups
water and 1 cup milk.
You can also cook the rice and dal in a pot-in-pot method in the pressure cooker. Place the
bowl of rice, dal & water in a cooker. or You can even cook in a pot till soft.

Since I added the rice and dal directly in cooker, I cook for 3 whistles on a medium
flame. If you place the rice and dal in a separate bowl in the cooker then pressure cook for
4 whistles. Rice and dal both have to be soft cooked.

Add ½ cup water & 1 cup grated jaggery (tightly packed, 220 to 240 grams) to a small
pot. Heat this on a low flame to dissolve the jaggery.

Let the syrup begin to bubble up well & boil for about 3 to 4 minutes. It must turn
slightly sticky & slightly thick, but no string consistency is needed. You should begin to
smell the jaggery well. Set this aside.

Once the pressure has released open the cooker. Both rice and dal should be soft
cooked. Mash the rice slightly.

Filter the jaggery syrup to the rice and mix. Some people like to thicken the jaggery
syrup first and then add to the sweet pongal. If you want to do that, filter the syrup to a
separate pot and boil it till it thickens and then add it to the rice.