Makar Sankranti 2022: January 14 marks the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti. The harvest festival commemorates the Sun’s journey back into the northern hemisphere, which is considered auspicious. Since the festival falls under the winter season in north India, most of the food items prepared on this day have rich ingredients like ghee and dry fruits, which provide fats. People also prepare healthy khichdi dishes for the feast on this day. However, different regions of the country prepare khichdi in their own unique styles. Let us take a look at the types of khichdi prepared on Makar Sankranti:
Moong-Dal Khichdi
Made with rice and moong dal (lentils), this is a healthy, wholesome recipe. This khichdi is also recommended for those who want to eat something that is easy on their digestive system. To prepare this dish, take half a cup of rice and half a cup of moong dal in a bowl. Soak it in enough water for 20 minutes and then drain the water and set it aside.
Mix rice and moong dal in a pressure cooker and add 3.5 to 4 cups of water. To that add salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida and pressure cook on high heat for 5-6 whistles. After the khichdi is prepared, you can serve it in a bowl and garnish it with coriander leaves.
Fada Ni Khichdi
This Gujarati take on Khichdi is made with broken wheat, moong dal, vegetables and dry spices. Begin by soaking the moong dal in warm water for 15 mins. In a small pressure cooker, add ghee and let it heat. Then add dry spices like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and curry leaves. Follow this by ginger, green chilies, cumin seeds, dry red chili and asafoetida.
Once these begin to sizzle, add the shira or sweet wheat. Fry shira in the ghee for 2 minutes, then add soaked and drained moong dal and fry for another 1-2 mins. Add vegetables like carrots, beans and saute again for three to four minutes and add salt. Now mix the turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Follow this with 2-3 cups of water. Pressure cook it till the cooker releases 2-3 whistles.
Sabudana Khichdi
Sabudana Khichdi is a dish mostly consumed in western India, especially in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. To make this dish, start by washing Sabudana till the water clears. Soak in water for about an hour. Then drain in a colander, and spread over a thick cloth for about an hour.
Mix sabudana with salt, chilli powder, and peanuts, so that it gets coated well. After this, heat ghee in a pan and add jeera. Add dry red chili and kadhi patta. When chili darkens a bit, add sabudana mixture and mix well over low heat till cooked.
Bengali Khichuri
This Bengali take on khichdi includes roasted moong dal and fragrant gobindobhog, a type of rice. The gobindobhog rice is a scented, short-grained variety of rice with which polao and payesh are typically made. Start by rinsing gobindobhog rice thoroughly, spread it over a net, and leave it to dry completely. You can also add vegetables of your choice like potatoes, cauliflower, peas, and more. Set a pan on medium heat and add the moong dal. Dry-roast the dal for about six minutes or till it turns pinkish-brown, giving off a roasted aroma.
Transfer the dal to a large bowl and wash it. Add the washed gobindobhog rice to the heated pan. Fry the rice for about five minutes and then add vegetables to it. In a small bowl, mix the ginger paste, turmeric powder, and cumin powder with a half cup of water.
Add the mixture to the pan and stir them for about two minutes. Add two cups of hot water along with the salt. Cover the pan and allow the khichdi to boil for about five minutes. After 15 minutes, add sugar, blanched peas, and green chilies and your dish is ready.
Kathiyawadi Khichdi
Another Gujarati variant of this Makar Sankranti special dish is Kathiyawadi khichdi. The basic moong dal and rice ingredients remain the same even in this dish. Mustard seeds, bay leaves, minced garlic, grated ginger, chopped green chilis and half a teaspoon of turmeric powder are added with hot ghee to a pan. One can then add vegetables of their choice and add dry spices like salt, red chili, and turmeric.
Then add soaked rice and dal to the pan and mix it. Add two cups of water and leave the dish to get cooked for five minutes.
