Fly high with these traditional Makar Sankranti Food Recipes

Most of our festivals are enjoyed with mouth-watering food made especially for the particular occasion. Indeed, festivals are an excuse to gorge on delicious food! (wink wink). Makar Sankranti is popularly known as ‘Pongal’ in the South and as ‘Lohri’ in the North. We have assembled a few delicacies for you to prepare and feast on this year on Makar Sankranti.

1. Til (Sesame) Ke Laddu

Til ke Laddu is prepared with sesame seeds, peanuts (optional), and jaggery. If you like soft and chewy texture, cook the jaggery syrup is till you can roll it into soft balls. You can also cook the jaggery syrup till you can roll it into hard ball to get a firm and dense laddu. These spherical shaped sweets not only taste amazing but are also rich in iron and calcium.

2. Peanut Chikki

Dry roast 1 cup of peanuts on medium flame in a frypan. Keep stirring till the peanuts turn little golden in colour. Cool them down completely and remove the skin. Now add 150gms grated jaggery to a heavy pot or a pan. Dissolve the jaggery on low flame by pouring 1 tbsp water in it. Once the jaggery is completely dissolved, add 1 tsp ghee and let the syrup boil while continuously stirring it. In order to ensure the correct consistency, the jaggery syrup will harden immediately when dropped into cold water. Now, turn off the flame and quickly mix the peanuts into the jaggery syrup. Haste is your friend here! Transfer the mixture on a plate and roll it with a rolling pin to level the top as thin as you like. Let it cool down completely. Your chikki is now ready. Store it in an airtight container to preserve it for a longer duration.

3. Sweet Pongal

This porridge-like dish is made with rice and mong lentils, often flavoured with cardamoms and dry fruits. Dry roast ½ cup moong dal on a medium flame in a cooker till the dal turns slightly golden. Add ¾ cup rice to the roasted dal, pour 4 cups of water and soft cook it for 3 whistles on a medium flame. Now take a pot and add 1 cup grated jaggery. Dissolve the jaggery into a syrup by pouring ½ cup water on a low flame. Once the syrup begins to show bubbles, turn off the flame and set it aside. Once the cooker has cooled down, mash the rice and dal slightly. Filter the jaggery syrup and pour it into the mashed rice and dal. Add some cardamom powder. Cook the mixture on medium flame till the jaggery syrup mixes well with the rice. You can also decorate the sweet Pongal with some cashews and raisins.

4. Gur ke Gajak

Start with dry roasting some peanuts in ghee and set it aside. Now melt jaggery in ghee in a non-stick pan on medium flame till the syrup turns slightly golden. Once done, add a few fennel seeds and dry roasted peanuts, and mix it well while cooking on low flame. Take a foil sheet and sprinkle some ghee on it. Transfer the jaggery mixture to the sheet and spread it evenly. You will notice it will turn hard after it has cooled down completely. Break it into smaller pieces and enjoy this heavenly sweet!

5. Ellu Bella

Ellu Bella is a traditional recipe of the state of Karnataka. Ellu Bella is packed in a fancy pouch along with other food items such as seasonal fruits, betel nut, turmeric, etc., and gifted to friends and family. Ellu Bella is essentially made with 5 ingredients – dry roasted sesame seeds, dry roasted chana dal, dry roasted peanuts, grated jaggery, grated dry coconut – all mixed together. This mixture of Ellu Bella is very easy to make, nutritious, and can make a guilt-free munching snack for the winters.

The first festival of the calendar year is celebrated with much festivity and joy all over India. We wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous Makar Sankranti. We hope your dining table dots up with several delicacies just like the sky dots up with colourful kites this Sankranti!