Makara Sankranti is a Hindu festival celebrated in almost all parts of India. Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path. According to the Hindi calendar Makar Sankranti is festival celebrated for new year for Hindus and is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. However, it is celebrated with distinct names and rituals in different parts of the country.
Makara Sankranti: Chhattisgarh, Goa, Odisha, Haryana, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra,
· Pongal: Tamil Nadu
· Uttarayan: Gujarat
· Maghi: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab
· Lohri: Punjab (Lohri is celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti)
· Bhogali Bihu: Assam
· Shishur Saenkraat: Kashmir Valley
· Khichdi: Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar
· Makara Sankramana:
In Maharashtra this period is called as sankraman kal. On the Sankranti day sweets are prepared from Til (sesame) and Gul (jaggery) which again warms your body. Its an occasion to visit near and dear ones and distribute tilgul saying "Tilgul ghya, god god bola" that means "Take a tilgul and talk sweet as it". The under-lying thought in the exchange of tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.
In this 'sankraman kal' you have to do 'Daan' so, this is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women are invited for a get-together called ‘Haldi-Kumkum’ and given gifts of any utensil or any useful items. This is the only day when black colour is auspicious. So married woman wears black sarees and for infants also Maharashtrian people purchase a black dress.
So here is my recipe for Sankrant….
Ingredients:
½ kg While Sesame
½ kg Jaggery (Chikkicha Gool)
1 cup Roasted Peanuts coarse powder
½ cup grated and roasted Dry Coconut
½ cup Chana dal roasted
1 tsp Cardamom Powder
1 to 2 tbsp Pure Ghee
2/3 drop Rose Essence
½ kg While Sesame
½ kg Jaggery (Chikkicha Gool)
1 cup Roasted Peanuts coarse powder
½ cup grated and roasted Dry Coconut
½ cup Chana dal roasted
1 tsp Cardamom Powder
1 to 2 tbsp Pure Ghee
2/3 drop Rose Essence
Method:
1) Roast ½ kg sesame till golden brown
2) Keep ready roasted coarse peanuts, grated and roasted Dry Coconut.
3) In other pan, melt Chikki Gool. After some time, it will start boiling. The jaggery should be at the “soft-ball” stage. That means that when you drop a bit of it into cold water to cool it down, it will form a soft ball. If you remove the ball from water, it will flatten like a pancake after a few moments in your hand. Sesame Laddus are made using the jaggery in softball stage.
4) Add roasted Sesame, coarse peanuts, roasted dry coconut, Chana Dal , rose essence and cardamom powder and mix well.
5) Grease hands with little Ghee as we are going to make laddus while the mixture is hot. Therefore, because of ghee, hot mixture will not stick to hands.
6) Make 1 inch round shaped laddus while mixture is hot. If it gets cold, it won’t form the round shape as the jaggery will become hard. So, while making laddus if mixture becomes cold, put it again on high heat so that jaggery will melt and you can make laddus from that remaining mixture.
Note:
1) To make laddus rich in flavour, add unsalted cashew pieces or any other dry fruits.
1) Roast ½ kg sesame till golden brown
2) Keep ready roasted coarse peanuts, grated and roasted Dry Coconut.
3) In other pan, melt Chikki Gool. After some time, it will start boiling. The jaggery should be at the “soft-ball” stage. That means that when you drop a bit of it into cold water to cool it down, it will form a soft ball. If you remove the ball from water, it will flatten like a pancake after a few moments in your hand. Sesame Laddus are made using the jaggery in softball stage.
4) Add roasted Sesame, coarse peanuts, roasted dry coconut, Chana Dal , rose essence and cardamom powder and mix well.
5) Grease hands with little Ghee as we are going to make laddus while the mixture is hot. Therefore, because of ghee, hot mixture will not stick to hands.
6) Make 1 inch round shaped laddus while mixture is hot. If it gets cold, it won’t form the round shape as the jaggery will become hard. So, while making laddus if mixture becomes cold, put it again on high heat so that jaggery will melt and you can make laddus from that remaining mixture.
Note:
1) To make laddus rich in flavour, add unsalted cashew pieces or any other dry fruits.
