Makar Sankranti, celebrated in various parts of India, is a harvest festival that has a focus on seasonal produce. Here are some easy, hearty festive treats you can make at home to celebrate the festival
Pongal is made with rice and lentils and it's often garnished with cashews and curry leaves. Although it has some other versions as well
The sweet flatbread is a popular Makar Sankranti number. It is filled with a mixture of chana dal jaggery, and cardamom and it's traditionally made with wheat flour
Ellu Bella is a festive mixture made with sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts, coconut, and ghee, made by roasting sesame seeds, peanuts, and grating coconut, and then mixing them with melted jaggery and ghee.
A crunchy sweet made with sesame seeds and jaggery or sugar, gajak is a popular Makar Sankranti treat, often prepared in the form of thin squares
Coconut chikki is made by combining grated coconut with jaggery and then setting the mixture into thin, crunchy bars that's sweet and nutty in equal ratio
A simple and wholesome dish, khichdi is made across India to celebrate the bounty grains like rice, lentil and also the local produce since some versions include vegetables as well
Til ladoo, made with roasted sesame seeds and jaggery, is a popular sweet dish made during this festival. Til or sesame is considered to be an auspicious ingredient