Celebrate Makar Sankranti with nutritious millet delights

Makar Sankranti is a vibrant festival celebrated across India, marking the harvest season and the transition of the sun into Capricorn. It’s a time for family gatherings, flying kites, and indulging in festive foods. Traditionally, the festival is celebrated with sweets made from jaggery, sesame seeds, and grains. This year, why not embrace a healthier twist by incorporating millets into your Makar Sankranti recipes? Millets are highly nutritious, gluten-free, and versatile, making them an ideal ingredient for festive dishes. From millet ladoos to jowar payasam and jaggery rasgulla, these millet-based treats offer a wholesome and delicious way to celebrate the occasion.

Millets Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 50 gms roasted bajra puffs

• 50 grams roasted jowar puffs

• 50 grams roasted nachni puffs

• 50 grams assorted millets flour, use any six of your choice

• 20 gms pumpkin seeds

• 20 gms roasted sesame seeds

• 20 gms flax seeds

• 50 gms dates, deseeded chopped

• 50 gms almonds, chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat a pan and add ghee. Add chopped dates and cook till they become soft and mushy.

2. Add jaggery powder and 1/4 cup water. Make a thick syrup boiling for 6 minutes. Turn the flame off.

3. Add all the other ingredients one by one and mix thoroughly till everything is well coated with the jaggery syrup.

4. Transfer this to a greased tray or box and press tight so that it sets well.

5. Cut into 3” ‘x 1” long strips and wrap each bar with butter paper and then with aluminium foil.

6. Snack onto this for some added boost.

Gud ka Rasgulla

Ingredients

• 1½ litre jersey milk

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 tbsp jowar flour

For the syrup

• 3 cups water

• 3 cups grated jaggery

Instructions For Filling

1. Layer muslin/cheesecloth in a colander and keep it aside to be used later.

2. In a deep saucepan, pour jersey milk and bring it to a boil.

3. Once done, switch off the heat and pour 1 cup water into the pan. It will cool down the milk to some extent. It’s important to cool down the milk a little bit before pouring lemon juice or else, the cheese will not turn soft. Pour the lemon juice into the milk and stir. The will cause the milk to curdle.

4. Allow the milk to cool for a couple of minutes and then, strain the milk through the cheesecloth.

5. Rinse the cheese under running water, as the sour taste is washed away. This also ensures that the rasgulla turns out soft.

6. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth and squeeze off all the excess water. Hang it for just 20 minutes, so that the water drips off, if any.

7. Take the cheese out of the cloth in a clean plate and start kneading. Add the jowar flour and knead for 10 minutes till it become like a soft cheesy dough.

8. Once the dough is ready, make tiny dumplings from the dough avoiding cracks.

9. In another pan, make the jaggery syrup by mixing water with jaggery and bring it to a boil

10. Once the jaggery has melted drop the cheese balls into it and do not over crowd as the cheese balls needs space to grow in size. Cover the pan with a tight lid and let it cook for about 15 minutes at medium heat.

11. Meanwhile, keep checking the consistency of the syrup. If it gets too thick, add some water and continue cooking the rasgullas by turning it around every few minutes. Once they are almost double in size, they’re ready.

12. Switch off the heat, and leave the rasgulla in the syrup.

13. Once it’s cooled serve with the syrup.

Jowar Payasam

Ingredients

• ½ cup sorghum

• 1 ¼ cup jersey milk

• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder

• ¾ cup jaggery

• 1 tbsp jersey ghee

• 8-10 nos. Cashew nuts

• A generous pinch of saffron strands

Instructions

1. Wash sorghum for 2- 3 times and soak overnight in 1 cup water.

2. Pressure cook in 2 cups of water till well done. Even it gets slightly it is absolutely fine. Infact, better.

3. Add jersey ghee in deep pot. Once it is melted add cashew nuts and fry until golden and keep them aside.

4. Add the cooked sorghum, jersey milk and jaggery. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring intermittently.

5. Add golden fried cashew, saffron strands, cardamom powder and stir well.

6. Serve warm, tastes better.

(The writer is an author of Godrej Vikhroli Cucina Millets Cook Book)