Makar Sankranti Recipies
Makar Sankranti or Sankranthi is a harvest festival which is celebrated across India in names with great joy and pomp. It marks the first day of the sun's transit into Makara rashi (Capricorn). As per the Hindu calendar, this year, the festival would be celebrated all over India on Jan 14.
Makar Sankranti is also known as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab, Uttrayan in Gujarat, Bhogali Bihu in Assam and Poush Sankranti in West Bengal.
People celebrate the festival by offering prayers to God Surya, by flying kites and by preparing several types of dishes. Here are some traditional recipes which you can make at home:
Makara Chaula:
Makar Sankranti celebrations in Odisha is incomplete without Makara Chaula. It is sweet dish which is offered as prasad to the Lords. As the name suggest 'Makara Chaula' is sweet dish made up of raw rice.
[caption id="attachment_509284" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Makara Chaula Image Source: Tiwtter[/caption]
Ingredients
• Basmati Rice (You can take any type of regular white rice/arua chaula which you have at home)
• Milk
• Sugar
• Grated Coconut
• Banana
• Chenna or Cottage Cheese/ Rasgullas
• Black Pepper Powder
• Grated Ginger
Optional
• Sugarcane (Diced into small pieces)
• Pomegranate
• Raisins
• Cashew
Method:
Payesh Puli:
[caption id="attachment_509285" align="alignnone" width="750"] Payesh Puli Pic Credit: prestigesmartchef[/caption]
Payesh Puli is a quintessentially Bengali dish which combines two dishes Pithe and Payesh in one.
Ingredients
For making rice dough
• 1 cup of rice flour
• 1 1/4 cup of water
• 1/4 tsp salt
For making coconut stuffing
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1/2 cup grated patali gur/ date palm jaggery
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp ghee
For preparing the dudh or doodh
• 1 lit milk
• 3 green cardamom(crushed)
• 1 cup patali gur/ date palm jaggery
Method:
For coconut stuffing
• Take a pan with 1 cup of freshly grated coconut, sauté it for 2 mins.
• Then add grated patali gur or date palm jaggery with sautéed coconut. Mix it well.
• Just after 2 mins of continuous stirring, add milk to it. Cook it till the milk totally soaked by the coconut and jaggery mix.
• Then add ghee and cardamom powder to it and mix well. When the moisture almost evaporates then turn off the heat. Let it completely cool down.
For cover of Puli Pitha
For preparing the dudh or doodh
Til Chikki:
[caption id="attachment_509286" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Til Chikki Pic Credit: Divine Taste[/caption]
Til Chikki is a delicious and quick to make sweet treat which is a must make for the festival of Sankranti in North India.
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cups sesame seeds
• ¾ th cup Jaggery
• 4 tsp ghee
• 1 tbsp milk
• powdered cardamom
Method:
Sakkarai Pongal:
[caption id="attachment_509287" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Sakkarai Pongal Pic Credit: FirstCry Parenting[/caption]
Sakkarai Pongal is prepared by using short grain rice and jaggery which are considered to be healthy ingredients to be consumed during winter.
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup - raw rice
• 3 tbsp - moong dal
• 4 tbsp - ghee
• 1/2 cup - milk
• 6 to 8 - cashews
• 3/4 cup - jaggery
• 1 - cardamom
• 1 tsp - raisins
• 1.75 cups - water
• 2 pinches - salt
Method
Pinni:
[caption id="attachment_509288" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Pinni Pic Credit: aahaaram[/caption]
Pinni is one indulgent winter treat from Punjab, which is prepared widely during Lohri and Sankranti celebrations.
Ingredients:
• 1 Cup Wheat flour (Atta)
• 3/4th Cup Mawa (Khoya)
• 1 Cup Sugar or as per your taste
• Clarified butter (Ghee) 2tbsp
• Roasted dry fruits
• 2 Cardamoms
Method: