Sesame (Til) Recipes for Makar Sankranti

Sweets are made mainly using sesame and jaggery for the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Have a quick look at the popular sweets made on the occasion of Makar Sankranti right away.Makar Sankranti is an auspicious day for Hindus from all over the world. It is celebrated with fanfare and festivities especially in India. With some different names, traditions and culture, few things remain same throughout. Sesame or til is an ingredient widely used in recipes from almost all parts of India when it comes to Makar Sankranti. The basic ingredient remaining more or less the same, you will be surprised to find the variation in taste. Here are some recipes popularly made on Makar Sankranti. In this articleTil Ke LaddooTil Ka BarfiTil ChikkiTil RevriPeanut LaddooTil Ke LaddooIngredientsSesame seeds – 1 cupJaggery – 1 cupGhee or clarified butter – 2 table spoonCrushed cardamom – 1/2 tea spoonWater – 1/2 cupProcedureTake a pan and roast the sesame seeds until they are light brown. You will have the aroma of roasted sesame seeds.Set aside the seeds in a bowlNow heat water and jaggery together on a low flame.When the jaggery starts caramelizing, check the caramel by putting a drop of it in cold water. If it forms a ball, it is done.Switch off the gas and put ghee, roasted sesame seeds and crushed cardamom in the jaggery and mix thoroughly. This has to be done as fast as possible so that the sweetness is absorbed and conceived in the entire mixture.Make the laddoos while the mixture is warm. You can moisten your hands with cold water if you find things very hot.You can store these laddoos for even more than a month.Til Ka BarfiKeeping the ingredients same as above and the procedure up to number 5 same, you can make sesame or til barfi by greasing a plate with ghee and spreading the above mixture on it. Once it settles you can cut them into shape you like and take out the barfis from the plate after cooling down of the mixture. You can replace jaggery with sugar to have a different taste.Til ChikkiIngredientsTil or sesame seeds – 3/4 cupJaggery – 1/2 cupGhee – 1 1/2 cupProcedureHeat a pan and dry roast the sesame seeds till they are light brown. Remove the seeds in a bowl and keep asideAdd ghee in the pan and then add jaggery to it. Keep stirring and cook for 3 minutes.Switch off the flame and add the roasted sesame seeds to it. Mix well.Grease a plate and spread this mixture on it. Let it cool before you cut it into pieces and serve.Til RevriIngredientsSesame seeds – 1/2 cupSugar – 1/2 cupWater – 2 table spoonCardamom powder – 1/4 cupGhee – 1 tspProcedureDry roast the sesame seeds and keep aside. Do not overdo them. Make sure the colour does not change.Now heat the water with sugarAdd ghee and cardamom powder to it.Once it boils add the sesame seeds and mixSwitch off the gas stove when you see that the mixture is leaving the sides of the pan.Take the mixture and drop it in small portions on a greased plate and let it cool.Remove and store in an air tight container.Peanut LaddooIngredientsPeanuts – roast and grind –3/4 cupRoasted and powdered til – 1/2 cupSugar – powder – 3/4 cupGhee – 2 cupsCardamom powder – 1/4 tspProcedureAdd sugar, ghee, sesame seeds and cardamom powder to peanut powder and mix well. You can keep the sugar slightly granulated. Make laddoos and store or serve.Serving and eating til with jaggery is not just a tradition. It gives a good boost of iron and helps maintain health and haemoglobin level. While making the above recipes you simply need to keep in mind two things – make sure the jaggery is not cooked too much as it can become hard and you may not get perfect outcome and the sesame seeds are not over-roasted.What kinds of sweets are made for the occasion of Makar Sankranti? Why is sesame and jaggery served on the occasion of Makar Sankranti? What are the health benefits of including sesame and jaggery in the diet? Discuss here.