Makar Sankranti Indian recipes | Recipes for Pongal | South Indian Pongal Recipes | Chikki Recipes for Makar Sankranti 

Makar Sankranti Indian recipes | Recipes for Pongal | South Indian Pongal Recipes | Chikki Recipes for Makar Sankranti 

Makar Sankranti and Pongal Recipes

In India, festivals arrive one after the other to keep us zesty and active! Come January, it is time for Makar Sankaranti in the North as well as West and Pongal in South India. These are spring festivals, enjoyed with lots of outdoor activities that keep us close to Nature and remind us of how closely we are bonded with our environment.

Makar Sankaranti is a very popular festival in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is a community event that is very popular in cities like Jaipur and Varanasi, just like Calcutta is known for its Durga Puja. During Makar Sankaranti, kids and adults flock to the terrace and other open spaces with colourful kites. The sky is dotted with bright kites and the atmosphere is abuzz with the festive spirit. In fact, in Gujarat in every household it is a tradition to buy more than a dozens of kites as a mark of the festival.

Chikkis and Makar Sankaranti

It is considered important to make sweets with peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut and jaggery during this festival, and usually chikki is the most popular sweet made with these ingredients. Varieties of chikkis are made in huge dabbas and shared with friends and relatives when they meet for the festival. Although chikki might be a blanket term that covers all of them, each tikki is unique in its flavour and texture.

Think chikki, and peanut is the first option that comes to mind! Indeed, the combination of peanuts and jaggery, prepared in a crisp and exciting form, is a time-tested and ever-popular snack, which has won the hearts of Indians and others. Here is a detailed step-by-step recipe that shows you how to make Peanut Chikki at home. Its crisp texture is truly adorable.  

Peanut Chikki

The Dry Fruit Chikki combines the crunch of nuts with the chewiness of dried fruits. Young and old alike drool over crunchy-munchy mixed nut chikkis! Indeed, who can resist the delectable combination of nuts with sugar in a crispy and handy form? The rich flavour and enticing texture of the this chikki will make you want to keep munching on them, and the temptation is even higher if the chikkis are fresh and homemade.

Dry Fruit Chikki, Cashew Almond and Pistachio Chikki

The Mixed Til Chikki has a unique mouth-feel and a classic flavour that has timeless appeal. We have used a mixture of white and black til to give a balanced flavour and attractive appearance to this jar Snack, which is also very handy to carry in a dabba to school or office, to munch on when you feel hungry.

Mixed Til Chikki

The Kurmura Chikki with its puffy crispness is an all-time favourite with kids. A traditional treat that has withstood the test of time, murmura chikki, with its wonderful crunch and puffy texture is loved across generations! This is a traditional Indian sweet recipe made especially during the kite festival i.e Makar Sankranti. The uniqueness of this chikki is that it is thick as compared to most other chikki which are thin.

Kurmura Chikki

The Til Laddu made with til and gud is a traditional recipe with an addictive flavour and aroma. Known as Maharashtrian til che ladoo it is given to elders and kids during Sankrant and the following words are said, Til gul ghya… god god bola ! This means take the sweet til ke laddu and maintain the sweetness of our relationship.

Til Laddu, Til Ke Ladoo, Til Gud Ladoo Recipe

Another unique chikki is the Coconut Chikki also known as kopra chikki because it is made with the use of desiccated coconut. Like most chikki it is paired with jaggery. It is thinner than most other chikkis, has an exhilarating crispness, and the rich flavour of coconut and jaggery.

Coconut Chikki, Kopra Chikki Made in Jaggery

Crispy and sweet Rajgira Chikki, made with dainty little amaranth seeds and jaggery, is an awesome treat for the taste buds. While most of us think that this is chikki is better bought from the store, it isn’t very difficult to make it in your own kitchen. It has a rich taste and pleasing texture, combining the sweetness of jaggery, the rustic taste and texture of amaranth and the nutty crunch of cashew nuts. Try your hand at this unusual treat this Sankranti.

Rajgira Chikki, Amaranth Chikki

Indian Recipes for Makar Sankranti

In many Gujarati households, it is a tradition to make a special meal on the day of Sankrant. A sumptuous preparation of five types of vegetables cooked in a gujarati style coriander and coconut masala is a speciality of Sankranti. The combination of vegetables with methi muthia makes this Panchkutiyu Shaak comparable to oondhiya.

Panchkutiyu Shaak

With this shaak is served Panch Dhan Khichdi. This khichdi features an extremely appetising mixture of rice with five kinds of dals Common ingredients and spice powders, which will be available in every kitchen, provide the Panch Dhan Khichdi an irresistible flavour. Similarly, Saat Dhan Khichdi, a combination of seven different pulses and dals is equally famous.

Panch Dhan Khichdi

South India and Makar Sankaranti 

In South India, Makar Sankaranti is celebrated in honour of the Sun, the life force that makes life possible on Earth. In Tamil Nadu, this festival is called Pongal, and farmers pay their obeisance to the Sun God, thank Him for a good harvest, and pray for the forthcoming agricultural cycle to be fruitful too. 

Freshly-harvested rice and vegetables are used to make traditional delicacies like Pongal and Ezhukari Kootu (a spicy subzi with seven or more veggies and beans). Huge, colourful rangolis are drawn on the courtyards, the earthen pot is placed in the centre of the rangoli on a wood-fired stove and the rice is cooked under the Sun.

Although modern cooking methods are available, many households, especially in rural areas prefer to follow this traditional method till date. For lack of facilities, city-dwellers settle with cooking these delicacies on gas stoves and other appliances! We share with you time-tested authentic recipes for making these dishes, to make Makar Sankaranti all the more special.

Chakkra Pongal (Sweet Pongal) is one famous recipe made and served during the festival of Pongal. God’s favourite offering, and man’s favourite prasad! Yes, the sweet pongal has won this contest hands-down. The taste, understandably, is divine! The rich flavour and aroma of jaggery, together with the magical tinge of spices makes this a drool worthy delicacy.

Sweet Pongal, Sakkarai Pongal, Chakkarai

Ven Pongal (a savoury khichdi like dish) is South India’s equivalent of the North Indian khichdi. Cooked rice and moong dal are flavoured with ginger, crushed peppercorns and cumin seeds, and garnished with ghee-roasted cashew nuts and curry leaves. The rice is usually cooked in new earthen pots.
Ven Pongal, South Indian Breakfast

Avial is another south Indian delicacy enjoyed at every occasion in South India. In this delicious South Style Mixed Veg Curry (also called as avial), a colourful assortment of veggies is cooked with a richly-textured paste of coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies. This spicy curry gets a tangy twist with the addition of tamarind pulp. In some ways, this is a variant of the popular South Indian dish called Avial, which uses thick curds instead of tamarind to perk up the curry.

South Style Mixed Veg Curry

An easy and tasty South Indian recipe, which often features in many households during Pongal is Beetroot and Coconut Sabzi. Grated beetroot is flavoured with a traditional tempering and a scrumptious mixture of coconut, garlic and spice powders.

Beetroot and Coconut Sabzi, South Indian Sabzi

Pachadis are accompaniments to South Indian meals, like raitas are to North Indian meals. With curd as the base ingredient, it can be made with the use of different veggies. On such popular Pongal recipe is Ginger Pachadi.  It combines the pungency of ginger with the tanginess of tamarind and the rustic sweetness of jaggery.

Ginger Pachdi, Ginger Chutney, South Indian Recipe

A sweet is a must in every occasion in India. Apart from sweet pongal, Semiya Payasam referred to as “Maapillai Payasam” (meaning son-in-law kheer) is made during the festival of Pongal! With its milky flavour and rich garnishes, the kheer was considered a perfect dish to serve to a visiting son-in-law, who used to traditionally be treated like a King! Roasted vermicelli, cooked in a pot of sweetened milk, laced with cardamom and garnished with dry fruits is a delightful addition to any menu, especially a traditional South Indian meal.

Semiya Payasam, Vermicelli Kheer

Any festival is a time to celebrate with friends and family, and to keep traditions alive. Food being a part and parcel of our culture, it is also important to know how to cook and serve our traditional delicacies with love and care. We will always be by your side, helping you achieve the best outcome in the kitchen!