India is a land of traditions, with various festivals and religions. One such festival is Makar Sankranti, a harvest festival which is celebrated throughout India. In the west, it is popularly known by the name of Makar Sankranti, while in the south, the festival is known as Pongal. The festival is closely associated with pilgrimage and marks the end of the winter season. We at Nature’s Basket have brought you delicious traditional recipes to celebrate this festival with. Read on to prepare these delicious recipes in the comfort of your home.
- Til Chikki
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of sesame seeds
- ½ cup of chopped jaggery
- 1 ½ tsp of ghee
Instructions:
- To make til chikki, heat a deep non-stick pan, add the sesame seeds and dry roast on medium heat for 5-6 minutes
- Now, heat the ghee in the same deep non-stick pan and add the jaggery
- Mix well and cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously
- Now, switch off the flame and add the roasted sesame seeds and mix very well
- When the mixture is ready, put the entire mixture over the back of a greased plate or a smooth stone surface
- Thinly roll into circular diameter using a rolling pin
- Cut them into square pieces with a sharp knife and allow the til chikki to cool completely
- Store it in an air-tight container and munch on for a long time.
2. Gur Paratha
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup grated jaggery
- 4 tsp. sesame seeds
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- Ghee or oil for frying
- Water
Instructions:
- Make the dough by adding water to whole wheat flour. Set aside for 15 minutes
- Now make small balls with the dough
- To make the filling, add jaggery, sesame seeds, and fennel seeds and mix together. Make small balls of the filling and keep aside
- Now roll out dough balls. Keep the filling ball inside the rolled out dough. Pull up the sides to form a big ball
- Now roll out a paratha with a rolling pin. If a bit of filling peeks out, it is perfectly fine
- Now fry the paratha on a tava with a little ghee on each side till the paratha is well cooked. Some jaggery oozing out of the paratha is fine
- Serve hot with more ghee or fresh malai. Your delicious til aur gur ka paratha is ready to eat.
3. Jaggery Rice
Quick, easy and tastes really good! Jaggery rice is especially loved by those who have a
sweet tooth. It is a traditional Punjabi dish made using jaggery, rice and some tasty spices.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup rice
- 1 to 5 tbsp.oil
- ¾ cups of water
- 4 small cardamoms
- 4 cloves
- 15 to 20raisins
- 1bay leaf
- 1 tbsp. roasted peanuts
- 120 gms of jaggery
- ¾ cup of water
Instructions:
- Start by soaking the jaggery and soak it in the water for 35 to 40 minutes
- Now, wash and clean the rice and soak it again for 15 to 20 minutes
- In a pressure cooker add the rice and cover it with the water
- Allow it to pressure cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure the rice should be half cooked and once the pressure settles down, open the lid
- Stir in the jaggery and allow it to dissolve it in the water with oil
- Stir it gently with the half-cooked rice and combine all the spices (cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, raisins, and peanuts)
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and allow it to cook again for 2 to 3 minutes
- Garnish the cooked jaggery rice with dry fruits of your choice
- Serve hot or warm with some milk.
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