Festive recipes: Til laddoos, Sakkarai Pongal and more

On the occasion of Sankranti/Pongal/Lohri, we bring you some traditional, easy to make recipes you can treat your loved ones to.

The harvest festival marks the onset of spring and is an occasion for Indians to celebrate.

No Indian celebration is complete without desserts and good food. 

We bring you six festive recipes to relish and enjoy. 

Til Laddoo

Recipe by Chef Pankaj Bhadouria

Ingredients

• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup jaggery
• 1 tbsp ghee
• ½ tsp cardamom and sugar powder

Method

• Roast sesame seeds in a pan.
• Remove the seeds into a bowl and keep it aside to cool.
• Take jaggery and some water in a pan and bring to a boil. Make the syrup a little thick.
• Add roasted sesame seeds to this.
• Add cardamom and sugar powder. Keep aside to cool.
• Make laddoos out of the mixture and serve.

Sakkarai Pongal

 

Ven Pongal/Brown Rice with the traditional Pongal Sambar

 

 

Photograph: Surabi Food/Creative Commons 

Recipe by S Saraswathi 

 

Ingredients for Ven Pongal

• 1 cup raw rice
• ¼ cup moong dal
• 4 cups water
• Salt to taste

For seasoning

• 2-3 tbs ghee
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp jeera
• A generous pinch of asafetida
• Curry leaves
• 5-6 cashews

Method

• Dry roast the moong dal for one to two minutes, till fragrant.
• Wash the rice and pressure cook along with the dal for about four to five whistles.
• When the pressure goes down, open the cooker and lightly mash the rice
• Heat the ghee, add pepper, jeera, asafetida, curry leaves and finally the cashew
• Saute till the cashew is golden and pour over the Pongal.

Ingredients for brown rice

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2½ cups water
• Salt to taste

Method

• The only difference between cooking brown rice and white rice is the rice to water ratio. Because of the outer bran coating, more water and a slightly longer cooking time (approximately five minutes extra) is needed to cook brown rice. 
• Alternately you can cook the rice in a pot with lots of water and drain the excess water after the rice is cooked.

For sambar

• 2 cups arhar dal/toor dal
• 4 cups assorted vegetables (choose the vegetable and their quantity according to your preference; brinjal, carrot, drumstick, beans, radish, peas, different varieties of pumpkin, yam, etc)
• Half raw mango chopped
• 1 tomato
• 5-6 green chillies
• 6-8 garlic pods
• 4-5 shallots (whole)
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• Lemon sized tamarind ball
• 2 ½ tbsp sambar powder
• Salt to taste

For seasoning

• 3 to 4 shallots (chopped)
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 2 dried red chillies
• A generous pinch of asafetida
• Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves
• Oil

Method

• Pressure cook the dal with the tomatoes, shallots, green chillies, garlic and turmeric powder in four cups of water for three to four whistles (seven to eight minutes).
• Meanwhile, soak the tamarind in water for 10 to 15 minutes, and extract the juice. Keep aside.
• Wash and chop the vegetables.
• Pour some oil in a pan; add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes.
• Add a cup of water and cook the vegetables for six to seven minutes.
• Open the cooker, mash the dal well, and add the tamarind extract, the chopped raw mango, boiled vegetables and salt to taste.
• Keep it back on the flame and allow it to boil.
• Cook over low heat for four to five minutes.
• For seasoning, heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add chopped shallots, dried red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and sambar powder.
• Saute for a few minutes and pour over the dal.
• Garnish with lots of fresh coriander and your delicious sambar is ready.

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Jalebis 

Recipe by Rediff reader Sarani Tarafder

Ingredients

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cornflour
• ¼ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp yogurt
• ½ tsp Eno fruit salt ( the regular one, easily available in Indian grocery stores)
• 6-8 tbsp water (enough to make a smooth pancake like batter)
• A few strands of saffron (optional)
• Food colour -- orange or yellow (optional) or a pinch of turmeric
• Ghee or oil -- enough for frying (ghee will make it more flavourful)

For the sugar syrup

• ¾ cup sugar 
• 1/3 cup water
• A fat pinch of cardamom powder
• ½ tbsp lemon juice
• Few strands of saffron (optional)
• You will need a piping bag or a ketchup/mustard dispenser/squeeze bottle.

Method

• In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar and cardamom (plus one split cardamom) on medium heat till the sugar dissolves and it comes to a boil.
• Add the saffron strands.
• Lower the heat and let it simmer till the syrup reduces and thickens to a one-string consistency. Keep it aside. 
• Heat oil/ghee (or oil+ghee) in a pan (medium heat).
• In a measuring cup (it will just be easier to pour into the dispensing bottle), mix the flour with yogurt and give it a whisk.
• Add the cornflour, lemon juice, strands of saffron (pre-soaked in a tbsp of water) and mix well.
• Add the water little by little till you get a thick and smooth batter.
• Whisk in the food color or pinch of turmeric.
• Lastly, add the eno fruit salt. The moment you add the eno fruit salt, the batter will start frothing. It is very important that you add the fruit salt last.
• Pour the pancake-like batter (if it is too runny, it will not hold the shape while frying) into the dispensing bottle or piping bag. 
• Now pipe spirals of the batter onto the (medium) hot oil. Fry 2 or 3 at a time till they turn golden brown on each side.
• Do not overcrowd the pan or else the jalebis will not be cripsy.
• Drain excess oil on a paper towel and dunk the jalebis into the warm sugar syrup.
• Let the golden-brown spirals soak in the sugary goodness before you serve these. 

Note:

• These remained crispy the next day as well. We just warmed up the jalebis a little before eating the next day. 
• Make sure you dunk the fried jalebis in the syrup while it is still hot (and the sugar syrup warm).
• The batter should be thick and not runny.
• The oil should be medium hot.

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