Makar Sankranti 2023: Traditional sweet and savoury delicacies you must try

Makar Sankranti is just a day away and it’s the time to indulge in urad dal khichdi and mouthwatering delicacies made of til (sesame seeds), gud and rice. Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of the harvest season and is usually celebrated on January 14 every year, a day after Lohri. It also signifies the end of winter and the beginning of longer days. Makar Sankranti is celebrated differently in different parts of the country. Be it urad dal khichdi, sweet chikkis, til laddoos, pithas or pongal, the food traditions associated with Makar Sankranti may slighlty differ depending on the region.

Here are some sweet and savoury delicacies you can prepare at home to celebrate the harvest festival.

1. Cashew Barfi

(Recipe by Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa)

Ingredients

Sooji – 250 gm

Ghee – 200 gm

Coarse sugar (bhura chini) – 175 gm

Finely chopped cashew nut – 15-20

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Method

– Take kadhai, heat ghee on medium heat. Add and roast sooji on low flame. Sauté nicely. Stir continuously until becomes aromatic flavor. Turn off the gas

– Keep aside the roasted sooji dough for cooling on room temperature. Add coarse sugar, cardamom powder and cashew nuts.

– Mix well with spatula or hands. Take small flat tray and spread the mixture and cut into shape of Barfi, let it set. Garnish as per your choice and enjoy.

2. Sesame Barfi

(Recipe by Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa)

Ingredients

Heavy milk – 1 cup

Milk powder -1 cup

Sesame seeds – 3/4 cup

Mixed Nuts – 3/4 cup

Sugar – 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/8 teaspoon

Method:

– Roast sesame seeds and mixed nuts over medium heat till they are golden in color. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Keep aside.

– In a non-stick frying pan, add heavy cream and milk powder mix it well. Cook over medium-high heat, stir continuously till the mixture starts to bubble.

– Lower the heat to medium and keep stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan, until mixture is reduced to thick paste and starts coming together. This should take 8-10 minutes.

– Add roasted sesame seeds, nuts and mix well. Stir for another 2-3 minutes until mix start looking soft dough.

– Lower the heat to low and add sugar and cardamom powder and mix it well. This will become soft in texture after adding sugar.

– Keep stirring for 1-2 minutes and bring the burfi back to dough texture.

– Spread burfi mixture onto the greased plate, approximately ½ inch thick. Let it sit for at least two hours at room temperature. Cut burfis to desired shape; square or diamond, garnish and enjoy.

3. Sugar free vegan dark chocolate tart

(Recipe by Chef Sunil Singh, The Blue Bop Cafe)

Ingredients

Jagger powder – 50gm

Rajgira flour – 50gm

Almond flour – 50gm

Cashew nut – 100gm

Raw cocoa powder – 65gm

Vanilla essence – 2ml

Extra virgin coconut oil – 100ml

Maple syrup – 50ml

Method

– Mix Jaggery powder, rajgira flour, almond flour with water and extra virgin coconut oil to make tart base.

– Pour the mixture in tart tin and bake for 15 minutes at 180′ C.

– Once done keep it for cooling on racks.

– In bowl mix crushed cashew nut, raw cocoa powder, maple syrup to make a thick batter.

– Pour this mixture in piping bag and let it get cool in fridge for 30 minutes.

– Fill the tart with the mixture and garnish with raw cocoa powder.

4. Walnut Panjeri

(Recipe by Kumar Nachikhet)

Ingredients

2 cups wheat flour

1 cup ghee

1 cup California walnuts, crushed

1 tablespoon cardamom powder

1 cup sugar

Preparation

– In a pan, heat some ghee and add the wheat flour, roast the flour for 12-15 minutes, till it starts changing the colour.

– Add crushed California walnuts and cardamom powder and roast for another 5-7 minutes

– Add sugar and mix it well.

– Garnish with more chopped walnuts and dried rose petals (optional) and enjoy!

5. Bhogichi Bhaji

(Recipe by Chef Sharata Kumar Das, Head chef of Glocal Junction)

Ingredients

Potato – 500 gm

Carrot – 150 gm

Brinjal – 200 gm

Green Peas – 150 gm

Papdi – 150 gm

Green Chana(fresh) – 150 gm

White Sesame – 10 gm

Drum Stick – 250 gm

Onion – 150 gm

Garlic – 100 gm

Ginger – 100 gm

Tomato – 250 gm

Coconut – 100 gm

Garam Masala – 10 gm

Turmeric Powder – 10 gm

Oil – 100 ml

Method

– Peel and chop all the vegetables in perfect cubes. Now take a saucepan, add water and a pinch of salt and boil the vegetables properly.

– Once done, keep it aside to let it cool down. While it cools down, take another saucepan, add the finely chopped onions, garlic, ginger and tomato.

– Cook it for 10 minutes. Once done, add the Indian spices and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Once done, add the boiled vegetables and let it cook for 15 minutes on medium heat and your steaming bhogichi bhaji is ready.

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