Makar Sankranti is no fun without good food! In fact, Makar Sankranti is almost synonymous to Til Gul, Til Ka Laddoo and other sweets. In India, people consider this day extremely auspicious and this day onwards people do all the holy events like weddings. With the new year, kick-starting also begins the list of Indian festival, and the first one is Makara Sankranti aka Makaraa Sankrānti or Maghi. This festival in the Hindu Calendar is to worship deity Surya. Observed each year in the month of January, it marks the first day of sun's transit into the Makara. The festival marks the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. The Makara Sankranti celebration includes sweets made mainly using sesame and jaggery. The day is celebrated with different names, traditions and culture, the ingredient Sesame or til remain the same throughout the country. is an ingredient widely used in recipes from almost all parts of India when it comes to Makar Sankranti.

The celebration takes place throughout the country among people from different communities. However, a sweet preparation using til and jaggery remains a constant, in various forms. You'll be surprised to know that the combination of jaggery and til is prepared in so many variations. Here are some of the til and jaggery recipes popularly made on Makar Sankranti throughout the country apart from Til Ke Laddoo.

Til Ki Barfi

Ingredients

Sesame Seeds 250 gm

Peanuts 150 gm

Ghee (clarified butter) 2 tbsp

Gur (jaggery) 300 gm

Dry shredded coconut 50 gm

Method-

  • In a Pan, roast the sesame seeds till it turns slightly brown.

  • Once it starts spluttering, remove it from the pan

  • In another pan, roast the peanuts.

  • Once roasted, peel off the peanut.

  • Grind the roasted sesame seeds and peeled roasted peanuts in a grinder.

  • Take a pan and heat some ghee and gud (jaggery) in it.

  • Stir well till the jaggery melts.

  • Add 1-2 teaspoon water as per requirement and boil the mixture till the syrup is slightly sticky.

  • Now add the ground sesame seeds, roasted peanuts and dried coconut powder to it.

  • Keep stirring till all ingredients mix well.

  • Pour the mixture in a greased square mould and let it sit for 5 mins.

  • Once it cools down, used a greased knife to cut it into square pieces.

  • And Til ke barfi is ready.

Take a look at the video of Til Ka Barfi recipe.

Til Chikki or Til Patti

Ingredients

Sesame seeds – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1 cup (200 grams)

Ghee – 2 Tsp

  • Method-

    Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan until the little change in colour. After that, transfer them on a plate.

  • Put 1 tsp of ghee followed by jaggery in the hot pan and cook until the jaggery melts completely. Later, boil the jaggery syrup for another minute and then add the sesame seeds to the pan. Cook them by stirring continuously on low flame until the mixture becomes smooth.

  • Transfer the jaggery-sesame seeds mixture on the greased rolling board. When the mixture cools down slightly, roll out the dough into a thin sheet with a greased rolling pin. Cut into the mix with a knife and leave for 5 minutes to cool down.

  • After 5 minutes, til gud chikki will be ready. Separate with a knife and place them on a plate.

Take a look at the video recipe of Til Chikki or Til Patti.

Til Revri or Tilkut

Ingredients

100 gm gud/Jaggery

100 gm til

1/2 spoon Choti Elaichi

1 spoon pure ghee

Method

  • Dry roast the sesame seeds and keep aside.

  • Now heat the jaggery and make jaggery syrup using water

  • Add ghee to it.

  • Once it boils add the sesame seeds and mix well.

  • Switch off the gas stove and pour the mix in a plate when slightly cooled down.

  • Once it is cool enough to touch, make small balls out of the mixture and place them in a greased plate.

  • Once completely cooled down, store in an airtight container.

Take a look at the video recipe of Til Revri or Tilkut.

Til Bugga

Ingredients

Sesame seeds (Til) : 250 gm (1 + 1/4 cup)

Powdered sugar (bura) : 200 gm (1 cup)

Mawa / khoya : 100 gm (1/2 cup)

Cardamom : 6-7

Method-

  • Roast the Sesame seeds (Til) till brown and wait till it cools down.

  • Grind the roasted sesame seeds along with cardamom and keep aside.

  • Roast the Mawa and khoya in low flame and mix it with ground sesame seeds and ground sugar.

  • Take small portions and make them into laddoos.

Take a look at the video recipe of Til Bugga.

Not only is eating til and gud on Makar Sankranti considered lucky on the auspicious day but is also extremely healthy. Rich in iron, it helps maintain the haemoglobin levels as well.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 09:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).