Makar Sankranti With The Goodness Of Gur

This delicacy from West Bengal celebrates the nolen gur or new jaggery, the festival of Poush Parbon and Makar Sankranti. It's a seasonal dessert due to the availability of nolen gur only during winter. Using it, Bengalis prepare a decadent payesh or pudding with milk, rice and dry fruits. 

One of the most celebrated dishes during Makar Sankranti is jaggery rice, also known as gud wale chawal. Although it can be made any time of the year, this festival turns it into a unique and ceremonial treat. Rice, jaggery, ghee, dry fruits, cardamom, and cloves are needed to make this delectable delicacy. It has a decadent, rustic taste.

Along with jaggery, til or sesame emerges as a popular ingredient during this festival. Many sweet recipes are prepared by combining gud with til. A traditional Maharashtrian sweet for Makar Sankranti is tilgul. Since it uses til and jaggery to form laddoos, it gets the name, Tilgul. These laddoos are quick and simple to make and packed with nutrients.

Sindhis have the Gud Paratha to compete with Andhra bobbatlu and Maharashtrian puran poli. These three classic Indian sweetmeats are all made with gud or jaggery. The addition of coconut to Sindhi Gud Paratha's filling is the only minor variation. This dish is also offered during winter and Indian harvest celebrations like Makar Sankranti, similar to the other two.

The mention of gur or jaggery and Indian dessert often invokes images of gud halwa. And the festival Lohri makes it a perfect occassion to prepare this traditional culinary fare. The popular atta gur halwa is a must during Makar Sankranti. It requires a few ingredients like wheat flour, ghee, jaggery, cardamom, dry fruits and oodles of patience.