This Makar Sankranti, make it a meal of nutritious proportions...
Sankrant Khichdo
Ingredients
Broken wheat 300 gm
Toor dal 100 gm
Dry dates 50 gm
Pealed raw peanuts 30 gm
Fresh coconut flesh 30 gm
Broken cashewnuts 10 nos
Whole field beans 30 gm
Fresh toor dana 30 gm
Fresh peas 30 gm
Raisins 20 gm
Almonds whole 10 nos
Jaiphal powder 3 gm
Cardamom powder 3 gm
Saffron powder 0.5 gm
Green chilli paste 20 gm
Ghee 200 gm
Whole chilli 2 nos
Mustard seeds 5 gm
Red chilli powder 5 gm
Turmeric powder 5 gm
A pinch of asafoetida
Chopped coriander leaves 1 bunch
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Method
Soak broken wheat for two hours, and pat dry.
In a thick bottomed vessel, add water with a drop of ghee. Add soaked wheat and cook till done.
In a separate pan, cook toor dal, peanuts and boil till cooked well. Add field beans, fresh toor dana, fresh peas and cook till done. Add to cooked broken wheat mix.
Cut dates into ¼, slice coconut in slices, cut almonds into 1/3, soak raisins for 20 minutes in water. Add to the cooked broken wheat mixture.
Add spice powders and green chilli paste. Season mix well on the hot plate on very slow flame. Correct the seasoning with salt and sugar.
In a thick bottomed pan, add ghee followed by whole dry red chilli, mustard seeds and asaofetida. Add tempering to khichda.
Serve garnished with coriander leaves and raita.
Karanji
Ingredients
Casing dough
Refined flour (maida) 300 gm
Semolina 30 gm
Ghee 30 ml
Milk 100 ml
For Stuffing
Poppy seeds 10 gm
Dry grated coconut 100 gm
Powdered sugar 60 gm
Cardamom powder 2 gm
Almond 10 gm
Pistachio 10 gm
Charoli 10 gm
Sesame seeds 5 gm
Raisins 10 gm
Method
Sieve refined flour and mix with semolina in a bowl. Heat ghee and add to the mixture. Add milk to form soft dough, cover with a moist cloth, rest.
Broil dry coconut and poppy seeds separately. Crush almond, pistachio and charoli nuts. Mix all the ingredients with powdered sugar and cardamom powder.
Form dumplings of the dough and roll into 4 inch discs. Stuff the dough with mixture at the centre. Fold karanji to form a half-moon shape.
Seal edges of karanji with milk, and cut the excess dough with cutter. Pinch and twist the edges to seal completely.
Deep fry karanji till golden brown and serve hot.
