It's finally that time of the year to come back home from work, take a hot shower, slide into the comforters with a cup of chai and some snacks and call it a day. Winters bring with them a variety of regional delicacies to be relished. From Moa in Bengal to Chikki in Maharashtra, Indians have a lot to indulge in during winters. Having mentioned Chikki, it's time for us to explore the sticky world of peanuts and jaggery, through this article.
When I was in Delhi, one of the best things I used to look forward to on winter evenings is having chai with peanut Chikki. The sweet, crunchy and delectable sweet was a reason enough to woo me to come back to my PG. My PG owner used to make Chikkis at home and the aroma of jaggery was enough to make us all drool. Peanut Chikki is not only delicious but is also healthy to savour during winters. The goodness of peanuts and jaggery keeps the body warm and fills the body with good fats and nutrients. One day, while enjoying a Chikki with Chai, one of my friends mentioned that Chikki is called Gajak at her home. Upon hearing that I researched about the same on the internet. To my surprise, both the winter delicacies have some similarities and a lot of differences between them.
Both- Chikki and Gajak have different origins. While Chikki was invented in Lonavala, Gajak was found in Indore and has an older origin. Gajak is made from powdered jaggery or sugar, Chikki is made with liquid jaggery. The process of making Gajak is also a bit onerous than that of Chikki. The Gajak dough is crushed and hammered till the oil from the sesame seeds is released into the dough. It takes nearly 12-15 hours to make 5-6 kilos of Gajak. While both the dishes have these distinct differences, some also believe that Chikki is the modern adaptation of Gajak that is time and labour saving.
Are you waiting to relish both these snacks this winter? Following the embedded recipes will serve your purpose.