With Makar Sankranti around the corner, preparations to make this joyous occasion even more memorable have already started. While in one part of the country people have begun flying kites, in another part of the country people are eagerly waiting for the harvesting season to approach. Even though Makar Sankranti is celebrated differently in different regions of the country, one thing that common across the nation is food. So if you are looking for some delectable desserts to make this Makar Sankranti, here they are.
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1. Til laddoo
Makar Sankranti is incomplete without tilache laddoo! These laddoos are very simple to make. You need sesame seeds, dry fruits, desiccated coconut, and jaggery. Firstly, dry roast the sesame seeds then make jaggery syrup by mixing jaggery with water then heating it. After the syrup is cooled down a bit, add the roasted sesame seeds and also throw in some dry fruits or coconut shavings if you need them. Mix everything well and then start making laddoos out of the mixture.
2. Puran Poli
Puran Polis are made in almost every Maharashtrian household on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. You will need chana dal, ghee, all-purpose flour, nutmeg powder, cardamom, jaggery, and water. The first step is to prepare the filling by putting a saucepan on medium flame and adding ghee to it. Once the ghee has been sufficiently heated, add blanched dal to it and roast it for a while. After that, add the nutmeg powder, cardamom, jaggery, etc. to the mixture and mash it all properly to create a smooth and even filling. Once the filling is ready, add it to the center of a kneaded dough and enclose it properly. After that, you can use or hands or a rolling pin to roll out the polis.
3. Paatishaapta
Paatishaapta is a famous dish of West Bengal and is very delicious. It is like a pancake that is stuffed with kheer or a mixture of coconut and jaggery. To make the crepe, you need rice flour, maida, sooji, milk, sugar, and salt. Mix them all together until your batter is smooth and leave it for a while to set. Meanwhile, you can prepare your kheer, coconut-jaggery mixture, or any other stuffing of your choice. Once the stuffing is ready and the batter is set, take some of it on a heated pan and swirl it to form thin crepes. Once the crepe is crispy enough, add the stuffing and fold the crepe to enclose it.
4. Sweet Pongal
Sweet Pongal is a very famous dish of South India and is made by first roasting rice and moong dal. After that, the roasted rice and moong dal are added to a pressure cooker (with water) and cooked until mushy and soft. While the rice and dal are cooking, you can make a powder of cardamoms and cloves for extra flavour. After that, make jaggery syrup as mentioned above and let it settle for a while. After that, use a sieve to strain the syrup directly into the rice and dal mixture and add the cardamom-clove powder to it. Mix it all very well and voila!
5. Basundi
We don’t need a special occasion to make basundi! First, heat milk in a saucepan then add condensed milk to it as per the sweetness you require. Mix them both very well until the mixture is smooth, slightly thick, and consistent. Then add a generous amount of nutmeg powder to it for flavour and then throw in some of your favourite chopped dry fruits for taste. Stir and simmer the Basundi for a while and garnish it with saffron before serving.
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