Makar Sankrant Special - Til Gul

Happy Makar Sankrant to all my readers! Makar Sankranti is perhaps the only Indian festival whose date always falls on the same day every year i.e. the 14th of January.  Indians from different parts of the country celebrate this festival in different ways.  Sankraman means passing of the Sun from one Zodiac sign to the other. This day marks the Sun's passage from the Tropic of Dhanu (Sagittarius) to Makar (Capricorn).

Being a Maharashtrian, we celebrate by exchanging a particular dessert/sweet called Til gul.  Til means sesame seeds and gul means jaggery (a sweetner).  Til and gul both hold a special significance for its nutritive value especially during the winter months. 

Now the social aspect of this festival is the best part! This is a time to celebrate old friendships, make new ones and refresh the old ones.  So I hosted my annual Haldi Kunku - which is a get together of married women (but I also had my single friends join us). The custom is to wear a black Chandrakala sari (embossed with moons and stars) but we just did a "black theme".  Haldi meaning turmeric and kunku meaning vermillion is applied on the forehead by the host to guest and vice versa. The host also gives a small gift called "vaan". I gave hand crafted and hand painted wooden kunku holder to all the guests.

The ladies had a blast - We played the game "Hot Potato" and made the "losers" of the game do all sorts of funny things. On the menu - Kokum Serbert, Chole Chaat, and Mango Mousse. And ofcourse, til gul laddos.  Below is the recipe for the ladoos:

Ingredients and Method:

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded jaggery (gul)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts (unsalted)
1/8 cup dry coconut powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Ghee

1. Dry roast the sesame seeds on low flame until you get a nutty aroma and the seeds are light golden brown. This process should not be rushed. Take your time and keep working your spatula as you roast the seeds. Set aside. (About 10 minutes on low flame)
2. Break the peanuts into halves or quarters with your hand.
3. Dry roast the coconut powder on low flame. This shouldnt take too long as the coconut roasts faster than the sesame seeds. (About 3 to 4 minutes on low flame). Pour over the sesame seeds. Add the peanuts to this mixture and toss with fingers.
4. In a flat bottom pan, on low flame, heat some ghee and when melted add jaggery. Jaggery burns easily so do not walk away from the pan. You have to constantly keep stirring to melt the jaggery so it turns liquidy. I add some water (total 3 tbsp) 1 tbsp at a time to make it liquidy. Add the cardamom powder. Keep working the jaggery for about 5 minutes or so. Drop a small drop on a plate. If the jaggery forms a little dot, its ready.
5. Add the sesame seeds mix (coconut powder n peanuts) to the jaggery. Mix well.
6. Let cool for about 2 minutes. Put ghee on  your palms and start rolling them into equal size ladoos/balls.