If you’re planning a festive homemade feast for Lohri this year, we’ve got you covered with some easy recipes! The festival which is widely celebrated across Northern India has a focus on seasonal produce since it’s a harvest festival and what better way to make use of local produce than to use them for your festive meals?
Lohri is a sort of thanksgiving festival which pays homage to the sun god Surya and the fire god Agni since the festival marks the harvest of fresh rabi crops. The cultural celebration is linked with winter solstice, so it’s usually celebrated with seasonal winter produce which offers a sense of warmth and is also nutritious. Til, khoya, gur, jaggery, and sooji are popular ingredients which are used to make festive preparations during this season. Here are a few festive recipes that you can make to celebrate Lohri
Sarson Da Saag
No Lohri celebration is complete without the quintessential Makki Ki Roti and Sarson Da Saag. This classic combination of cornmeal flatbread and mustard greens curry is a winter delight. The rich, spiced Sarson Da Saag is the perfect veggie dish to add to a festive Lohri thali and can be made at home with a few simple ingredients. Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients:
500 grams mustard greens (sarson)
250 grams spinach leaves
1 small bunch of bathua (optional)
2 green chilies, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup maize flour (makki ka atta)
1/4 cup ghee or clarified butter
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons ghee or oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
Method
Wash and chop mustard greens, spinach, and bathua finely.
Pressure cook the chopped greens with chopped tomatoes, green chilies, ginger, and garlic. Cook for about 3-4 whistles or until the greens are well-cooked.
Once cooked, use a hand blender or a traditional muddler (madani) to blend the cooked greens into a coarse mixture. You can also use a food processor for this step.
Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai. Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn golden brown.
Add the blended greens mixture to the pan. Mix well and let it simmer on low heat.
In a separate pan, heat ghee for tempering. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Once the seeds splutter, pour this tempering over the simmering greens.
In a small bowl, mix maize flour with water to make a smooth paste. Add this paste to the greens mixture to thicken it. Stir continuously to avoid lumps.
Continue to cook on low heat for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and serve hot
Til Gur Laddoo
Sweet treats play a crucial role in Lohri celebrations, and Til Gur Ladoo is a popular choice. These sesame and jaggery sweets are not only delicious but also hold cultural significance. Til and gur are both deemed auspicious and are usually consumed during harvest festivals to celebrate new yields. You can make these bite-sized delights at home and that too in minutes!
Ingredients:
1 cup sesame seeds (til)
1 cup jaggery (gur), grated
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (elaichi)
Chopped nuts (optional, for garnish)
Method
Heat a pan on medium heat. Add sesame seeds to the dry pan and roast them until they become golden brown and release a nutty aroma. Keep stirring to avoid burning.
Once roasted, transfer the sesame seeds to a plate and let them cool. In the same pan, add ghee. Add grated jaggery to the pan and melt it on low heat, stirring continuously.
Cook the jaggery until it forms a soft ball when a drop is added to a bowl of water. It usually takes about 5-7 minutes on low heat.
Turn off the heat and add cardamom powder to the jaggery syrup. Mix well.
Add the roasted sesame seeds to the jaggery syrup and mix thoroughly, ensuring that the sesame seeds are well coated with the jaggery.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly so that it's easy to handle. Grease your palms with a little ghee to prevent sticking, and take a small portion of the mixture to shape into round laddoos.
Press firmly to ensure they hold their shape. You can also garnish each laddoo with chopped nuts while shaping.
Allow the til gur laddoos to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Gud Rewdi Gajak
Rewri Gajak is a traditional North Indian sweet made with sesame seeds, jaggery, and nuts and is widely consumed and gifted during Lohri. Gajak is quite similar to chikki or patti, but it’s slightly sweeter since chikki is made from liquid jaggery, whereas Gajak is made from powdered jaggery or sugar. Gud Rewdi Gajak is a dry sweet prepared with sesame seeds, jaggery and desi ghee. If you love gajak and want to serve it for Lohri, bookmark this recipe
Ingredients
1 cup sesame seeds or til
1 cup jaggery or gur, grated
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon ghee
A pinch of cardamom powder or crushed cardamom
Method
Dry roast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat until they become golden brown. Keep stirring continuously to prevent burning. Once roasted, transfer the sesame seeds to a plate and let them cool.
In a separate pan, add grated jaggery and water. Heat the mixture over low-medium heat, stirring continuously until the jaggery dissolves completely.
Continue to cook until the jaggery syrup reaches a two-string consistency. To test this, take a drop of syrup between your thumb and index finger. When you pull them apart, two threads should form.
Add the roasted sesame seeds to the jaggery syrup. Mix well to coat the sesame seeds evenly with the syrup. Add a pinch of cardamom powder for flavour.
Grease a rolling pin or a flat surface with a little ghee. Place the sesame-jaggery mixture on the greased surface and roll it out into a thin, even layer using the rolling pin.
While the mixture is still warm, cut it into desired shapes using a knife or a cookie cutter. Allow the gajak pieces to cool and set completely before removing them from the surface.
Raoh Ki Kheer Or Sugarcane Kheer
A Lohri speciality, this sugarcane kheer is usually made widely for Lohri; it’s often served with dry fruit and saffron, but it can also be paired with gur, although it doesn’t really need sugar or jaggery because sugarcane juice is naturally sweet. This may sound similar to the Lucknowi dessert Rasawal, which is also a kheer made with rice and sugarcane, but Raoh Di Kheer is typically creamier. Here’s an easy recipe to make this delicious sugarcane kheer at home.
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
4 cups sugarcane juice
1 liter full-fat milk
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup khoya (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
A pinch of saffron strands (optional)
Chopped nuts for garnish (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
Ghee
Method
Drain the soaked rice and cook it in a separate pot with enough water until it's 70-80% cooked. Drain any excess water.
Strain the fresh sugarcane juice to remove any solids. In a heavy-bottomed pan, bring the milk to a boil.
Add the partially cooked rice to the boiling milk. Stir well and simmer on low heat until the rice is fully cooked and the mixture thickens.
Once the rice is cooked, add sugarcane juice to the kheer. Stir continuously to combine.
Add sugar, condensed milk, and khoya (if using). Continue to simmer on low heat until the kheer thickens to your desired consistency.
Add cardamom powder and saffron strands. Mix well to infuse the flavours.
Grease a pan with ghee and roast the chopped nuts until they are golden brown.
Garnish the Sugarcane Kheer with the roasted nuts. Serve it warm
Chironji And Makhane Ki Kheer
Widely loved for being a bracing and hearty winter dessert, this recipe is a festive favourite. The luxurious and nutty dessert is creamy with a mild flavour, and the makhana adds an interesting crunch. Make sure to add the makhana towards the end so it doesn’t get too soggy while it’s being served. Opt for full-fat milk for this recipe if possible to make it creamier. Here’s the detailed recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup chiraunji
1 cup makhana (fox nuts)
1/2 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
1 liter full-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup khoya (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
A pinch of saffron strands (optional)
Chopped nuts for garnish (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
Raisins for garnish
Ghee for roasting and greasing the pan
Method:
In a pan, roast chiraunji and makhana separately in ghee until they become golden brown. Keep them aside.
Drain the soaked rice and cook it in a separate pot with enough water until it's 70-80% cooked. Drain any excess water.
In a heavy-bottomed pan, bring the milk to a boil. Add the partially cooked rice to the boiling milk. Stir well and simmer on low heat until the rice is fully cooked and the mixture thickens.
Once the rice is cooked, add sugar, condensed milk, and khoya (if using). Continue to simmer on low heat until the kheer thickens to your desired consistency.
Add cardamom powder and saffron strands. Mix well to infuse the flavours.
Add the roasted chiraunji and makhana to the kheer. Mix well.
Roast some more chiraunji and makhana in ghee until golden and use them for garnishing along with chopped nuts and raisins