Happy Makar Sankranti

Happy Makar Sankranti/Pongal to all my readers !!

Happy Makar Sankranti

Wishing all my friends a Very Happy Makar Sankranti!!!!

Makar Sankranti is one Hindu festival that is celebrated in equal fervor throughout India. Most people take a mandatory dip in a holy pond/river on this day followed by a visit to the temple. Odiya folks prefer to throng the Jagannath Dhan (Puri Jagannath temple) and the Sun temple at Chandrabhaga(Near Konark) on this day. This day marks a day of worship of the Sun God. This day marks the beginning of the Sun's journey into the Northern Hemisphere which translates into longer days.

Makara Chaula (recipe HERE) is the mandatory prasad prepared in Orissa on this day. Made from freshly harvested rice, this simple and no cooking dish is a treat. This year I made a few changes to the recipe by replacing sugar with jaggery and adding some sesame instead of the coconut. Sadly I could not get my hands on any sugarcane.

Makara Chaula

Preparation Time Required: 15-20 mins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Raw rice (though any arua chaula will do, Sita bhoga is preferable)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
• 1/3 cup small sugarcane pieces
• 1-2 ripe banana
• sugar to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese (Chenna)
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 cup chopped fruits of your choice 

Preparation: Soak the rice overnight. Wash and drain. Spread on a plate and allow to dry at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

Grind into a coarse powder and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the banana and mix well. Peel and crush the banana. Add to the mixing bowl and mix.

Consume within a day if kept outside the refrigerator. Can be refrigerated for 2-3 days.

Note: The ingredients listed above are traditionally used in Makara chaula. Some other popular ingredients are jaggery, sweet potato (peeled and grated) and jicama (sakara/chini aloo in Odia) ( also peeled and grated ).

Makara Chaula is prepared during the Makara Sankranti festival in Orissa. The rice used is preferably from the fresh harvest. There are slight variations in the ingredients depending on the regions.