Makara Sankranti with Ellu-Bella

Makar Sankranti or Makara Sankranti is one of the most auspicious occasions for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of India in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervour, and gaiety. It is a harvest festival. Makar Sankranti is perhaps the only Indian festival whose date always falls on the same day every year on, January 14, with some exception, when the festival is celebrated on January 13 or January 15.

Sankranti offering "Ellu Bella" in Karnataka

This is the Suggi or harvest festival for farmers of Kaveri basin of Karnataka. On this auspicious day, young females (kids & teenagers) wear new clothes to visit near and dear ones with a Sankranti offering in a plate, and exchange the same with other families. This ritual is called "Ellu Birodhu." Here the plate would normally contain "Ellu" (white sesame seeds) mixed with fried groundnuts, neatly cut dry coconut & fine cut bella (Jaggery). The mixture is called "Ellu-Bella" (ಎಳ್ಳು ಬೆಲ್ಲ). The plate will also contain sugar candy molds of various shapes (Sakkare Acchu, ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಅಚ್ಚು) with a piece of sugarcane. There is a saying in Kannada "ellu bella thindu olle maathadi" which translates to 'eat the mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and speak only good.' This festival signifies the harvest of the season, since sugarcane is predominant in these parts.There is also a tradition of some households giving away red berries "Yalchi Kai" along with the above. In North Karnataka, kite flying with community members is also a tradition. Drawing rangole in groups is another popular event among women during Sankranti.An important ritual is display of cows and cattle in colourful costumes in an open field. Cows are decorated for the occasion and taken on a procession. They are also made to cross a pyre. This ritual is common in rural Karnataka and is called "Kichchu Haayisuvudu  

 Source:Wikipedia

Ingredients for Ellu-Bella:

Sesame seeds/Ellu-1cup
Jaggery/Bella-1big block
Copra/Dry coconut/cobari-1
Puff channa/Hurigadle-1/2cup
Peanuts/Kadlebeeja-1/2cup

Method:
1.Lightly dry roast the sesame seeds on low flame or in a oven and keep it aside.
2.Cut the jaggery into small cubes and keep it aside.
3.Gently grate and remove the brown skin of copra and cut it into small cubes and keep it aside.
4.Lightly dry  roast the channa and keep it aside.
5.Dry roast the peanuts on a medium flame or in a oven until skin becomes loose and come off easily,make 
sure you don't over roast it.Rub them between the palms and remove the skin completely and keep it aside.
6.Now take a bowl and add sesame seeds,jaggery,copra,puff channa and peanuts,mix everything and serve.

Carrot and Peanuts Kosambari

Ingredients:
Carrots-2,grated
Moongdal/hesarubele-2tbsp
Roasted peanuts-2tbsp
Fresh coriander-1tbsp
Green chillies-1,finely chopped
Fresh coconut,grated-2tbsp
Pepper powder to taste
Salt to taste
Lemon juice-1tsp
Oil-1tsp
Mustard-1/2tsp
Hing-pinch


Method:
Wash and soak moongdal in half cup of water for 1hr.
Roughly crush the roasted peanuts and keep aside.
In a bowl mix grated carrot,moongdal, fresh coriander,grated
coconut,Lemonjuice and seasonings to taste.
Heat oil in a pan add mustard,when they begin splutter add
green chillies and hing and take out of the flame.
Add the tempering to carrot mixture and mixwell.
Add crushed peanuts before serving.

Serve as a side dish.

Carrot Halwa

INGREDIENTS:

Carrots,grated-2 big

Sweetened Condensed Milk-100ml

Milk-1cup

Ghee-2tsp

Cardamom powder-1/4tsp

Cashew nuts-1tbsp

Almonds-1tbsp

Raisins-1tbsp

Sugar-1tbsp

METHOD:

1.Peel and grate carrots.

2.Heat a milk in a pan when the milk begins to boil add

grated carrot and cook until all the milk dries up.

3.Add sweetened condensed milk, Cook on low flame till dry, stirring occasionally.

4.Add ghee and cook for another 10 minutes until ghee oozes out.Sprinkle cardamom powder.

5.Garnish with cashewnuts,raisins and almonds.

Figs with Yogurt

Ingredients:

Greek yogurt-1cup

fresh figs-2,chopped

hand ful of raisins and chopped walnuts

honey-2tsp

Method:

1.In a bowl add yoghurt,honey and chopped figs mixwell.

2.In a serving bowl add yoghurt mixture topped with raisins and chopped walnuts.

3.Serve chilled.

 

Boti Masala

Boti masala which sound's very nonvegetarian isn't it! but it is purely vegetarian.Boti is a yellow coloured,tubular shaped rice papad which are 7-8cm long.These is a recent invention of chaatwala's using a fried botis... which is very easy to make and taste's yummy.Instead of botis you can use fried rice papads.




Ingredients:

Fried botis-1pack(contains 12-15)or(i used home fried)

Carrot-1medium,grated

Onion-1,finely chopped

Coriander-2tbsp,chopped

Roasted peanuts/congress kadlebeeja-100gms

Red chilli powder-1tsp

Chaat masala-1tsp

Lemon juice-1tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Carefully and gently make a slit with a clean unused small blade and keep it aside.

2. In a bowl put all the other ingredients and mix well.

3. Take a tbsp of mixture and stuff the mixture into botis and serve immediatly.

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

75gms-Butter
150gms-Brown sugar
175gms-Maida/plain flour
1 1/2tsp-Baking powder
2-Eggs
2tbsp-Milk
1/4cup- Raisins
1/4cup-Walnuts
2tsp-Lime/Lemon juice
2-3-Ripen banana's

Method:

Mash the banana's like a paste and keep aside.

In a bowl beat butter and brownsugar in a wooden spoon or an electric blender.

Add eggs, one by one continue blending and add mashed banana's blend well.

Now add flour in two parts,blend well,if it is thickens add milk.

Add dry fruits blend well and pour into greased loaf cake tin.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180'C for 50 minutes.

DABELI

potato mixture with pomegranate seeds,peanuts and sev

Kutchi/Kachi dabeli is a street chaat of kutch region of Gujrat.This is also famous in Maharastra.
It is indian version of burger which has tangy,sweet,spicy and crunchy mixture.

Ingredients:

For the filling

2- boiled and mashed potato
1/2 tsp- cumin seeds (jeera)
pinch asafoetida (hing)
1tsp-pav bhaji masala
2tsp- imli ki chutney
2tsp- oil
salt to taste

To serve:

1 onion, chopped
2tbsp- roasted peanuts
2tbsp-chopped coriander
1/4 cup sev or nylon sev
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate (dalimbe beeja)
2tsp- garlic chutney
1tbsp- imli ki chutney
6 small burger buns/white baps
butter or oil for cooking

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they began to crackle, add the hing,
pavbhaji masala,mashed potato, salt and ½ cup of water and mix well.

Remove from the fire, add the 1tbsp of imli ki chutney and mix well.
Divide into 6 portions. Keep aside.

To assemble

Slice the buns into halves and toast the buns in a pan using a little butter or oil.
stuff the portion of the filling on the lower half of each bun.
Top with the chopped onion, peanuts, coriander, sev, pomegranate , garlic chutney and imli ki chutney.
Sandwich it with the top halves of the buns.


Imli ki chutney

Ingredients:

Lemon sized- tamarind , deseeded

Lemon sized jaggery (gur), grated

1/2tsp- chilli powder

1/2tsp-jeera powder

a pinch asafoetida (hing)

salt to taste

Method:


Wash the tamarind and soak in 1/2cup warm water for 30minutes.sqeeze and strain the juice.

place tamarind juice in a saucepan.Add the jaggery, chilli powder,jeera powder, asafoetida,and

salt cook until it thickens.cool,use in chaats or with snacks as required.


Garlic chutney

Ingredients:

Garlic cloves-4 to 5

Chillipowder-1tsp

Lemon juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt to taste

Method:


Pound all the ingredients in pestle and mortar to fine paste.

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

3Tbsp-Tahini paste

2-Greenchillies

1/2Tsp-Mustard paste/powder

4Tbsp-Thick yoghurt

Salt to taste

1/2Tsp-Sugar

Method:

Blend all the ingredients in a liquidiser.Garnish with olive oil,

redchilli flakes and sesame seeds.