Tilgul : Sesame jaggery ladoos

"Tilgul Ghya Goad Goad bola " : In my last post of GulPoli, i had mentioned about the Tilgul. These are also made on account of Makar Sankranti and are given to each other saying the phrase "Tilgul ghya goad goad bola" Meaning " Take this Til-gud ( The ladoo), and speak sweet". I don't know where this tradition of speaking such a phrase arrived from... If anyone knows, please let me know. As kids, saying the phrase and taking blessings from elders was just a formality...The eyes were glued to the ladoo in the other's hand..:)

No one can eat just one !!! : Its such a tempting ladoo, that you pop it in your mouth and you want to have more and more.... Its healthy during winters, ( because of sesame ), and jaggery adds to it...Much better than sugar!!! Our Mom used to hide the stacked Dabba from us, as we used to munch it throughout the day :)

Kutaache ladoo : This is my Mother's speciality. Normally, people make ladoos with whole sesame. But Mom makes this grinding the sesame to a fine powder and then adding jaggery and other ingredients. This one tastes toooo yummmy..And they are sooo simple to make...This is how she makes it :

Ingredients :

( Makes 30-35 ladoos )

Sesame powder : 4 cups ( Dry roast the sesame seeds and make it into a fine powder in mixer grinder )

Peanut powder - 3/4 cup ( Dry roast the peanuts, remove the skin and then grind it to a powder in mixer grinder )

Dry coconut powder - 1/2 cup ( Grate dry-coconut, dry roast it and make it into a fine powder in mixer grinder ) 

Jaggery - 1 n half cup ( Adjust according to taste how sweet you want it )

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Recipe :

Mix all the above mentioned ingredients well and make into small ladoos. Make sure the jaggery is fine and there are no chunks in it. You can even powder it or use ready-made powdered jaggery.

And these are the commonly made ladoos in every household. They are crunchy and have a very different taste than the "Kutaache ladoo"

Ingredients :

Chikki Jaggery ( This is another form of jaggery which is more sticky ) - 250 gms

Ghee - 1 tsp

Sesame seeds ( Til ) - 250 gms

Dry coconut ( Grated ) - 1/2 cup

Peanuts - 1/4 cup ( Dry roasted )

Recipe :

Heat 1 tsp ghee in a Kadhai. Add the jaggery and keep stirring it till it becomes of thinner consistency. Make all the procedure on low heat.

Now add the grated dry coconut and the peanuts ( skin removed )

Now slowly add the til ( sesame seeds ) while stirring in between. Adjust the til quantity according to how much fits into the jaggery. It shouldn't get too sticky, niether remain too dry. 

Mix everything well.

Now make the ladoos when the mixture is warm/hot. Apply ghee on your palm while making the ladoos ( This helps the jaggery not to stick to your palm and prevent it from burning )

If the mixture becomes cold, then warm the mixture again on the stove and again make the ladoos when hot. ( Yessss, Its tough to make this when hot, but trust me it's all worth it when you pop one in your mouth !!! :)))

Your yumyliscious Tilgul is ready.

Gulpoli : Maharashtrian delicacy

Makar Sankranti special : Makar Sankranti is a traditional festival celebrated in India which marks the transition of the Sun into the Makar Rashi ( Capricorn sign). For maximum years, it is celebrated on 14th of January... but rarely it also occurs on the 15th of January. It depends on when the sun changes its celestial path. It is also celebrated as the harvest festival.

Childhood memories : My memory of Makar Sankranti is only the " Til-gud" and "Gul-Poli" made by my mother. I love the gul-poli, simply because its crispy, and can be eaten for a week after it's made. Alternatively, you can also make the filling and store it and make it as and when needed. The dough stays in the fridge for almost a week too. I have never tried my hand at Gul-poli, as the process seems too tough and tedious for me. But this time, i carefully observed my mother making it and decided to note down all the small tit-bits she uses to make it just perfect!!! And its not that tough at all, so i am going to make it soon for sure !!! Its such a delight watching Mom cook :) 

Gul-Poli is usually found in all Maharashtrian homes during Sankranti. It is basically a roti ( bread) made of jaggery. Jaggery provides heat to the body, and hence it is eaten during this season of winter. The til-gud ( sesame -jaggery ) ladoos are also eaten during this time to provide heat and energy to the body during winters. I will post a different recipe for the 2 types of Til-gud ladoos that my mom makes. Meanwhile, here is the Gul-Poli recipe :

Ingredients :

( Makes around 20 )

For the filling :

Gul ( Jaggery ) - 1/2 kg

Besan ( Gram flour ) - 2 tbsp

Til powder ( Sesame powder ) - 1/2 cup ( Dry roast white sesame and grind them to a fine powder in the mixer-grinder )

Dry coconut powder - 1 tbsp ( Dry roast the dry-coconut and grind to a powder - turns little brown )

Ghee or Oil - 1 tbsp

For the dough :

Besan ( Gram Flour ) - 1 cup

Wheat Flour ( Atta ) - 4 cup

Maida ( All purpose flour ) - 1 n half cup

Oil - 2 tbsp

Recipe :

Grate the Gul (jaggery). It should be fine, there should be no chunks in it.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, and roast the besan ( Gram flour ) till it turns light brown.

Mix the grated jaggery, sesame powder, dry coconut powder and besan well. It forms like a ball. Keep it aside.

Next, mix the Besan, wheat flour and maida together. Heat the 2 tbsp oil and add it to the mix-flour. This is called Mohan. Now knead it into a soft dough. Add water little by little. Keep the dough aside for 30 minutes.

Roll a small ball from the dough to a small chapati, and add the filling. ( You can divide the dough and filling in equal quantities beforehand. )

Now cover it from all sides and close the ball neatly.

Roll this ball again into a thin chapati ( Flat bread) ...You can dust it with flour if it sticks.

The idea is to roll it carefully , so the filling doesn't come out.

Now heat a pan ( Tava ). Place the poli on the tava. Do not add any oil or ghee on top. Roast till done or till light brown.

Mom's Tips :

1. Always roast the Polis on tava on low flame

2. If the filling comes out of the Poli, then you can add a pinch of Lime ( Chuna which is used in Paan )to the filling.

3. Never stack the Polis on top of each other when hot. Spread them on a newspaper till they get cold and then stack them at room temperature.

Happy Cooking :)

Peanut Ladoo : From Guddu :)

The word "Ladoo" reminds me of one of my Rakhi brothers who calls me "Guddu". I think he named me that from the word "Gudiya". So here's a sweet recipe for my sweet brother Prashant Batar :)

Ladoos or Laddus are all-time sweet that you can make and store in your kitchen. You dont need a special reason ( a festival or an occassion )to make one. Normally, all ladoos have ghee as an ingredient, so storing them for a minimum of 1 week is not an issue too. We have already made Coconut ladoos... Today we will make these melt-in-the-mouth Peanut ladoos. We maharashtrians call it "Shengdanyache ladoo" ( Sheng-dana is peanut in marathi language). They are also called "Shing na ladoo" in gujrathi. I normally make them and store them in an air tight container ( need not refrigerate) and is a part of my husband's snack-box every alternate day !! An easy-healthy recipe for his sweet tooth!!! 

Peanuts offer a variety of health benefits. They are a very good source of monosaturated fats, which is good for a healthy heart. They also contain Vitamin E, proteins and recently i read, that Peanuts not only contain oleic acid, a healthy fat found in Olive oil, but they are also rich in antioxidants. 
I love making recipes with Peanuts and they are an essential bit in my monthly grocery list. They can be eaten as whole, crushed, powdered, boiled, roasted...In any form they taste great!!

Peanuts can be made into chutneys, a sandwich filling in the form of Peanut Butter, or even into daal. Yes, my mother makes this yummyliscious Peanut daal that one has during Fasting. Peanut is one of the ingredients that is allowed to eat when one fasts, along with fruits, milk, sweet potatoes etc etc. We kids never fasted but used to love eating all the "fast-food " ( food allowed during fasting ) that was cooked at home. I am surely going to take the recipe of Peanut Daal from my mother and post it soon. Crushed peanuts are also made into chikkis and cookies. Ground peanut powder is used in various dishes like sabudana khichdi, some vadas or even curries or sabzis to get thicker consistency and a different taste. I even like to add roasted peanuts to breakfast recipes like upma and poha ! And how can we forget the peanut chaat with lemon juice and our favourite "Pepper"!!!! Yummm...

Peanut Ladoos can be made in different ways. You can add jaggery or powdered sugar. I always add and prefer jaggery over sugar, for the health benefits and also for the taste. You can add nuts or dry fruits according to your choice, either sliced or even powdered. You can even add cardamom powder or dry ginger powder or keep them plain and simple without much additions. They taste delicious either ways.

Ingredients :

Peanut powder - 1 cup. (Dry roast peanuts till light brown, remove their skin and then grind it to a powder in mixer. Make sure you grind it slowly and check in between, otherwise it starts oozing oil and powder turns sticky. You can make ladoos even with the sticky mixture, but a coarse powder tastes better than the sticky one )

Jaggery - 3/4 cup. (If you are adding powdered sugar, add 1/2 cup or according to taste. The powdered sugar has to be little coarse and not too smooth.)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Almonds - 4-5 sliced into thin strips ( you can even add cashews or nuts of your choice)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp ( optional)

Recipe :

Mix Peanut powder with jaggery or powdered sugar well.

Add sliced almonds. Keep some aside for garnishing ladoos on top.

Add the cardamom powder and 1 tbsp ghee.

Mix the mixture well and then add the other 1 tbsp ghee. The mixture is ready.

Roll into small round balls ( apply little ghee on hand or palm if needed ) and garnish with almond on top.

Happy Cooking :)