Keep your festive spirits soaring as the first festival of the year is here. Observed across India, Makar Sankranti marks the end of the winter solstice and beginning of consistently longer days. Known for colorful decorations, music, kite flying, bonfires, and feasts, the festival is celebrated with family and friends. For most parts of India, this period is also a part of the early stages of the agricultural cycle, where crops have been sown and the hard work in the fields is mostly over. The time thus signifies a period of socializing and preparing delicacies dear to each part of the country. Makar Sankranti Special Recipes add the perfect crunch and flavor to the festivities, bringing everyone together to celebrate with joy.
Adding a crunch of happiness and joy to this are our Pure Gold, Ripened to Perfection – California walnuts, that are grown and processed under strict quality control standards in order to deliver a high-quality product for you and your family to enjoy year-round. They are sweet in taste and creamy in texture and add a delightful crunch to your festive delicacies.
So, this Makar Sankranti try out these exciting California walnuts inspired delicacies made and host a delish feat like no other!
Masala Walnut Vada – Chef Hemasri Subramanian
Ingredients
2 cup chana dal
1 cup walnuts
1 cup onions, finely chopped
4-6 green chilies
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2-3 curry leaves
Coriander leaves, according to taste
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
Salt, as per taste
A small pinch of asafoetida
Method
1. To a bowl, add chana dal and water.
2. Soak the dal for 3 hours.
3. Strain the soaked chana, take a handful of the same and keep it aside.
4. Put the rest in a mixer jar.
5. To the mixer jar, add walnuts, fennel seeds and salt.
6. Grind these into a coarse mixture without adding water.
7. Transfer the ground mixture into a bowl.
8. To this, add finely chopped onions, green chilies, ginger, asafoetida, curry leaves and coriander leaves.
9. Mix everything well.
10 Check for seasoning and add salt if required.
11. Now add the whole soaked chana dal kept aside and a few chopped walnuts.
12. Combine this mixture evenly for the Vada batter and keep it aside.
13. Pour some oil for deep frying in a kadai.
14. Heat the oil and maintain the flame on medium.
15. Take the vada batter, prepare the vadas and gently drop them into the kadai.
16. Fry the vada until they are golden brown in colour.
17. Serve them hot with chutney and some hot tea by the side.
Walnut Rice Coconut Ladoo- Chef Abinas Nayak
Ingredients
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup walnut flour
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 teaspoon cardamoms powder
A pinch of black pepper powder
A pinch of salt
2-3 teaspoons condensed milk (can be replaced with melted jaggery)
2 teaspoons ghee
Chopped walnuts
Preparation:
1. Lightly roast California walnuts and blend and sieve to get fine walnut flour.
2. Heat a pan and add rice flour, walnut flour and desiccated coconut and roast it lightly.
3. Add condensed milk, crushed cardamom and black pepper in the mixture .
4. Stir everything together in a pan and add ghee
5. Lightly cook on slow flame till it has the consistency of a dough.
6. Add the crushed California walnuts.
7. Take it off the heat, make small ladoos and serve.
Til and California Walnut Barfi – Shumaila Chauhan
Ingredients
1 tablespoon ghee
500ml full fat milk
1/2 cup milk powder
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup jaggery powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
Preparation
1. In a pan over medium low heat, add the sesame seeds and heat 3-4 minutes. They will turn slightly golden and pop. Do not burn. Let cool and coarsely grind them.
2. Pulse walnuts to make walnut meal. Be careful to not over grind, else you will make walnut butter.
3. In a heavy bottom pan, heat ghee. Add milk and stir. Let the milk come to a soft boil over medium heat. Add the milk powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring often. Make sure to scrape the sides of pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes, till milk is reduced to half.
4. Add walnut and jaggery powder, and mix well. Cook for another 5-6 minutes.
5. Add in the powdered sesame seeds. Mix well. Stir another 2-3 minutes. Add in the cardamom powder and chopped walnuts (reserving a few for the top). Mix well. Stir till mixture thickens and starts leaving the pan and looks doughy. Turn off heat.
6. Grease a 5” by 7” pan. Line it with parchment paper. Spread the cooked mixture evenly. Top with the reserved chopped walnuts, and sprinkle some sesame seeds. Let set for an hour in the refrigerator. Cut into rectangles and serve.
