Makar Sankranti: Recipes to try at home this festive season
What's the story
Makar Sankranti marks the end of the long winter months and celebrates the onset of spring. The festival may be celebrated with different names across different states in India but the spirit, colors, and fervor associated with it remain the same all through. Here are a few recipes that you can quickly make and store just in time for this year's Makar Sankranti.
Delicious!
Laddus made from sesame seeds, coconut, peanuts, and jaggery
Roast 1/3rd cup sesame seeds, 1/4th cup peanuts, and 1/4th cup coconut separately. Mix all three ingredients. Add 1/4th teaspoon cardamom powder to it. On a low flame, simmer half cup grated jaggery and 3 tablespoons water. Cook till it reaches a softball stage, switch off the flame, and add the roasted ingredients. Now, make laddu balls and store them in an airtight container.
Peanut chikki
Easy 'pea'sy! Peanut chikki made with just two ingredients
Roast one cup of peanuts till crunchy. Once cooled, remove the husk. Cook half cup jaggery and 2 tablespoons of water until it reaches a hardball stage. Now, ickly add the peanuts and mix well. Remove it to a greased plate. Place a foil and roll with a rolling pin to even out chikki. Remove the foil. Once cooled, break the chikki, and store.
Definite shot!
Try out the mandatory south Indian sweet pongal
Roast half cup rice and 1/3rd cup moong lentils and rinse with water. In a pressure cooker, cook the rice-lentil mixture with 3 cups water for 11-12 minutes. On a low flame, make a jaggery syrup with half a cup water and half cup jaggery, and mix in some cardamom powder. Add it to the cooked mixture. Mix and garnish with fried dry fruits.
Odia dish
A special from Odisha: Chhena poda made from fresh paneer
Take 250 grams of fresh paneer and crumble it. Add half cup sugar and mix well. Knead till it becomes loose with a cake batter-like consistency. Add half teaspoon cardamom powder and half tablespoon rice flour. Grease a baking pan with ghee and pour the mixture. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for 30-45 minutes. Cool it and enjoy the dessert.
Laddu
Mouth watering! Laddoo made of Milkmaid, coconut, cardamom powder
Pour half cup of Milkmaid (condensed milk) into a pan and add in a one-and-a-half cup of desiccated coconut. Add half teaspoon cardamom powder. Stir continuously. Add more milkmaid if required. Cook till the mixture begins to thicken. Then, remove from flame. Make small balls while the mixture is still hot and roll them in desiccated coconut. Gobble them up before they are over!