The Sankranti festival tops the list of food festivals that Indians love to celebrate. Farming has a lot to do with the celebration of the winter harvest. The festival is commemorated on January 14 every year, but the food remains the main part of it. From ghee-laden sweets to Indian bread, people relish the various delicious dishes during this festival.
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Here are the top seven recipes for this Makar Sankranti:
1) Til Ladoo- This Laddo is made specially during Makar Sankranti and people wait the whole year to relish this delicious ladoo. It is a traditional sweet made with sesame seed, jaggery and various other ingredients.
Step 1- Add canola oil and sesame seeds to a thick hot pan.
Step 2- Keep stirring the sesame seeds until they turn light golden.
Step 3- Now add jaggery and melt it, gently keep stirring it till it froths without reducing it too much, take it off the flame.
Step 4- Add saffron milk before it turns solid and stir, add softened khoya, sesame seeds and blend well together and let it cool.
Step 5- Oil your palms with canola oil, make small balls using your fingers and serve the ladoos at room temperature.
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2) Murmura Ladoo- These ladoos as are made with puffed rice and molten jaggery. Puffed rice is not nutritionally rich and is low in calories.
Step 1- Take jaggery and water in a pan, and let the jaggery dissolve over low heat.
Step 2- After the jaggery is dissolved, increase the heat and bring it to a boil, and cook over full flame till you get a two-thread consistency.
Step 3- Mix in the murmura, and let it cool.
Step4- Make round balls with the mixture using your hands and serve.
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3) Til Ki Chikki- This winter snack is made with sesame seeds and sugar, perfect to satisfy your mid-meal cravings. This chikki can be stored for months l.
Step 1- In a pan dissolve sugar in the water over low heat.
Step 2- After it is dissolved, increase the flame and let it boil.
Step 3- Cook the syrup until it forms a hard lump.
Step 4- Stir the til for two minutes.
Step 5- Add soda and mix. Let it set in thin layers and the chikki is ready.
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4) Peanut Chikki- It is a popular sweet made during Lohri, Pongal, and Makar Sankranti
Step 1- Skin, roast, and crush peanuts.
Step 2- Heat sugar with half a cup of water until it becomes thick.
Step 3- Boil the syrup until it cracks if a drop of cold water is added.
Step 4- Add peanuts and mix well.
Step 5- Spread the mixture on a greased tray.
Step 6- Let it cool and then cut it into pieces and store in an airtight container.
5) Puran Poli- This is a popular Maharashtrian dish and the ultimate spirit of any festive occasion.
Step 1- Put chana dal in a pressure cooker, add water, and cook it for about a minute (3-4 whistles).
Step 2- Drain the water and mash the chana. Now in a pressure cooker pour the mashed dal and add sugar and let cook slowly.
Step 3- Add cardamom powder along with grated nutmeg to the mixture.
Step 4- Stir on a low flame and let the mixture cool.
Step 5- Soften maida into dough.
Step 6- Roll maida into the shape of chapatis and fill the mixture and again make it into a chapati.
Step 7- Cook it on a pan and add ghee to it. Your Puran Poli is ready.