Written By: Upneet Pansare | Updated : January 15, 2019 2:50 PM IST
Have you tried til poli?
Makara Sankranti, Pongal and Lohri are celebrated around the second week of January when the cold is at its peak. This is a time when allergies, cold, cough, asthma and other respiratory disorders, viral fever etc are very common. Makar Sankranti also marks the gradual beginning of the change in weather -- from winter to summer. Seasonal changes, too, are responsible for a number of ailments. This is why the traditional dishes for Makar Sankranti are made with ingredients like sesame seeds, jaggery, ghee, peanuts, coconut -- all of which help create heat in the body to help it feel warm, fight with infections and increase immunity and give you energy. Here are some Makar Sankranti special recipes by Executive Chef, Gopal Jha, Grand Mercure Bangalore.
Til poli
Ingredients:
2 cups sesame seeds
2 cups grated jaggery
1/2 cup Maida
1 cup wheat flour
2 tsp oil/ghee
Method:
Roast the sesame seeds and grind. Mix the jaggery and powdered sesame adding ghee. Knead dough mixing maida, wheat flour, salt and 2 tsp oil. Make small balls and roll into a round shape of just three-inch diameter. Fill a bit of the mixture of sesame and jaggery in the rolled out dough. Roll the ball into a round flat shape like a chapatti. Roast it with some ghee on a tawa.
Peanut gajak Shutterstock
Peanut Gajak
Ingredients:
1 or 2 pieces of gurh (jaggery)
Peanuts to taste
2 tsp. Ghee
Method:
Melt Gurh with ghee over low heat.
Add peanuts slowly.
Stir for a few minutes.
Pour this into greased pan and cool overnight.
Now, break into pieces and relish it with family members and dear ones.
Gokul Pithe
Gokul Pithe
Ingredients:
200 gms grated coconut
450 gms Khoya
2-1/2 cup sugar/date palm jaggery
150 gms flour
5 to 6 cups water
40 gms ghee
1/8 tsp sodium bicarbonate
Method:
Make sugar syrup by heating 2 cups sugar with 4 cups of water. Allow it to cool. Fry the coconut, khoya and 2 tbsp of sugar together in a pan over medium flame. Stir it continuously. To make cakes, roll the mixture into balls and flatten between the palms. Make the batter by mixing flour, remaining water, sodium bicarb and ghee. Heat ghee and coat coconut-milk cakes in the prepared batter. Deep fry until golden brown and immerse in the sugar syrup.
Ven pongal
Ven Pongal
Ingredients
1/2 cup moong dal (split green gram)
1 cup raw rice (chawal)
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp black peppercorns (kali mirch)
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tbsp broken cashew nuts (kaju)
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger (adrak)
salt to taste
a few curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 tbsp ghee for serving
Method
Heat a pan; add the moong dal and dry roast on a medium flame till the raw smell disappears, while stirring continuously. Keep aside.
Clean and wash the rice, drain and add the milk and 3 cups of water, mix well and pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles or till the rice and dal become soft. Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan, add the peppercorns, cumin seeds, cashew nuts and ginger, mix well and saut on a medium flame for a few seconds while stirring continuously.
Add the cooked rice and dal mixture, salt and curry leaves, mix well and cook on a slow flame for 5 to 7 minutes, while stirring continuously. Serve hot topped with 1 tbsp of ghee
