With the intense cold wave that is currently going on in the country, we can’t help but stay indoors. Only a few occasions can get us out of our warm and comforting self, and Lohri is one of those occasions. Celebrated with much fanfare in Punjab and many northern Indian states, Lohri is a celebration of the Sun God, Surya, who is offered gratitude for gracing devotees with its presence. Celebrated at the end of the sowing season of winter crops like rabi, that are now ready to be harvested, Lohri falls in the month of Pausha according to Indian calendar. The festival marks the beginning of harvest season, and from this point, the days also become longer and warmer as we move towards the spring season.
It is traditionally celebrated by lighting a holy bonfire in the evening wherein devotees offer foods made from jaggery or gur, sesame seeds or til and peanuts or moongphali to it, and sing and dance to folk tunes around it. Besides lighting huge bonfires, a whole lot of delicacies are also prepared to feast upon. The festival marks the beginning of harvest season. From this point on, the days also become longer and warmer.
Lohri feast generally involves winter staple such as sarson ka saag with makki roti, besides munching sweets like chikki, ladoo and gur ki roti. One of the most loved snacks during the festival is rewri. A festive staple we cannot imagine Lohri without, til rewri is my personal favourite that I usually munch all through January. Til (or sesame) along with jaggery are two very popular winter ingredients. While on one hand, til is said to help you warm up and give you a boost of energy, Jaggery on the other is an all-rounder with essential minerals that are beneficial for the body. The recipe til rewri involves both these ingredients to make a brittle, sweet treat on Lohri.
While you can buy readymade rewri from the market too, the joy of making it all from scratch at home is unmatched. Here’s a quick recipe for til and gud rewri you can try at home:
Ingredients
250 grams Sesame/Til
300 gram Gur/Jaggery (crushed)
2 tbsp Ghee
A pinch of Baking soda
Method
1. Place a pan on low flame and add sesame seeds to it, and dry roast a little.
2. Now turn off the flame and transfer it to a plate and let it cool completely.
3. Put the same pan on flame and add a tbsp of ghee to it, on low flame add crushed jaggery along with 3 tbsp of water to it. Stir continuously to melt the jaggery.
4. To check if the jaggery is cooked well, take normal water in a bowl and add some jaggery syrup to it. If it breaks then it's cooked perfectly or else cook for some more time.
5. Now add some roasted sesame to the pan and save some until later. Mix well but do not let the mix cool in the entire process.
6. Take a plastic sheet and grease it with ghee. Transfer jaggery and sesame mix to it and knead well with the help of a sheet.
7. Now add the sesame that was saved before and mix well. Take small pieces of mix and shape small rewris from it. Let them set.
Happy Lohri 2022!