Happy Makara Sankranthi

Wish you all a very happy Makara Sankranthi. We normally prepare Dosa and Khichidi (Sweet) during sankranthi.

The khichidi that I am referring to is a sweet dish. It is made with lentils and rice or lentils and broken wheat. It can be made with sugar or jaggery too. I love the one with sugar in it. But will soon update the next version with jaggery too :)

Here is what's needed:

1/4 cup Chana Dal

3/4 cup broken wheat

1 1/4 cup Sugar

2 cups grated Coconut

3-4 tbsp of ghee

1 tbsp each broken cashews and raisins

1 tsp Cardamom powder

Procedure:

1) Dry roast chana dal until it gives a nice aroma. When cooled wash it well and pressure cook along with broken wheat and water until done.

2) Add sugar to the dal mixture and give it a good boil stirring in between.

3) Add the grated coconut, 3 tbsp ghee and keep stirring until it comes to a rolling boil. Add water if the mixture seems to be too dry. Make sure that mixture comes to a boil if water is added.

4) Heat 1 tbsp of ghee , add cashews and fry till golden. Remove them and add raisins to the same ghee and fry till they are fluffy. Add the cashews, raisins and cardamom powder to the sweet and switch off.

Serve hot.

P.S: Fully ripe banana can also be added to the same. If adding, finely slice it and add after you switch off the gas. Also note that if banana is added the sweet turns stale the next day. So make sure to add to a small portion that you can finish. It tastes delicious with chopped banana.

Some also add finely chopped dates along with banana slices. Tastes wonderful. Both are optional.