Known by many names, like makar sankranthi, pongal, and Lohri,  this is essentially a festival to signify the harvest of rice, and the consumption of sesame (til) and jaggery (gud), which are very good to build up body resistance against the winter cold. The Sanskrit word Sankranti means "transition". The festival which usually falls around January 14th, is celebrated in the month of Magha to mark the sun's passing through the winter solstice, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn.

 TIL LADDOOS
Ingredients: 

Polished sesame seeds - 1 cup
 Jaggery - 1 cup.
Dried and roasted coconut pieces    
½ cup raw peanuts    
½ teaspoon Cardamom powder    
¼ cup Clarified butter        

 Method: 
Wash and dry the sesame seeds.  Roast them lightly.  Roast the peanuts – separately and let cool.  Once the peanuts are cool, skin them and crush them with a mortar pestle. Do not let the peanuts powder completely.  Heat the clarified butter. When hot add the jaggery.  Cook the jaggery in the clarified butter until it gets golden brown. When the consistency is thick, remove the vessel from the fire. Add the sesame seeds, crushed peanuts and cardamom powder. Stir the ingredients until everything is mixed well. Coat your hands with a bit of clarified butter. While the mixture is warm, shape into small round balls or laddoos. Store in an airtight container.

 TIL POLIS
Ingredients:

2 cups cleaned white sesame seeds
2 cups grated jaggery
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1 1/2 cups maida (refined flour)
oil as required.

Method:
Rub in 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and a pinch of salt to the flour and knead into soft dough.
Cover it with a wet cloth. Heat sesame on low fire, stirring continuously, so that they do not splutter.When cooled, pound them. Add the grated jaggery and pound once more to make the mixture even and smooth. Mix powders of Cardamoms and nutmeg. Shape small balls from the ready dough.
Place one ball in the left hand palm and make an indentation in the middle. Put in this hollow a lump from the mixture. Pull up the sides, gather at the top and press down. Smear a wooden board with oil, place the stuffed ball on it and roll out into as thin a round as possible using enough oil fry it on griddle to deep golden color till it is crisp.

Shakkara Pongal
Ingredients:

Rice - one cup
Moong dal (yellow variety) - one cup
Jaggery - one cup
Sugar - one cup
Milk - one cup
Cut pieces of dry coconut - half cup
Ghee one cup
Cashews, raisins and almonds fried in ghee according to taste
Cardamom (elaichi) – 2/3 cloves

Method:
Fry the pulses in ghee till they turn red. Wash the rice. Now place rice and dal in pressure cooker with enough water to cook to a semi-solid consistency. After removing from the heat, mix in all the ghee let it cook with dry fruits. Allow it to thicken. Then add the sugar and jaggery, stirring continuously and allowing excess water to evaporate. As soon as the mixture begins giving off ghee, it is ready. Add powered cardamom at the end.

Lohri Recipe: Til Gajak
Ingredients:

1 cup sesame
3/4 cup sticky jaggery
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
2 tbsp. clarified butter (ghee)

Method:
Heat sesame on low fire, stirring continuously so that they do not splutter. When cooled, pound them.Heat jaggery in 1/2 cup water till the syrup is thick. Test its consistency by putting a drop in cold water -it should remain firm. Add roasted sesame.Grease a board and spread the sesame-jaggery mixture. Roll flat to 1 cm thickness.Cut into squares when sufficiently cool and hardened.
Store in a container lined with butter paper.

PONGAL RICE
Ingredients

Rice-1cup
Green gram dal-1/2cup
Onion minced-1cup
Green chilly minced-5
Ginger minced-1tbsp
Garlic minced-1tbsp
Cinnamon 1 inch piece-3
Cardamom-5
Cloves-5
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Ghee-1/4cup
Salt-to taste

Method
Clean, wash and dry dal and heat it. Then cook it with turmeric powder, half tsp ghee and 3 cups of water. When it is cooked, keep aside. In the remaining ghee first fry the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and then garlic, ginger, green chillies and onion. Before the onions turn brown pour the liquid from the dal and some water to make it two cups, Add salt and when it starts boiling add the cleaned rice, put the lid on and cook on a low fire. Mix the cooked dal also and allow it to dry.

VEN PONGAL
Ingredients

Rice-2 cups
Moong dal-1cup
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Pepper corns-1tsp
Minced ginger-2tbsp
Ghee-6 tbsp
Fried cashew nuts-50gms
Fried raisins-25gms
Salt-to taste
Curry leaves-a few

Method
Heat ghee and add cumin seeds and peppercorns. When the seeds stop popping, add the dal and saute lightly, put in rice, salt, curry leaves and ginger along with enough water to stand one inch above the level of rice. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and cook till the rice is completely tender and dry. Serve hot, garnished with nuts and raisins.

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