Til chikki / sesame and jaggery candy

“The  thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest”.

                                        William Blake

The golden  fields , galore with the promise of a good harvest , the winter season coming to an end , high spirits and festivity  in the air.

     Here comes lohri…the harvest festival of the Punjabis.

   Amongst the many sweets and delicacies prepared on this day , the one ubiquitous sweet is the “til chikki”. 
Til chikki is thrown in the bonfire while singing songs of celebration. Til chikki is made with sugar and jaggery both .It can be prepared in a matter of minutes.

Here is how you can make til chikki at home.

Ingredients for making til chikki:

1.    100 grams sesame seeds / til

2.    100 grams jaggery

3.     2 tablespoons pure ghee

 Method of making til chikki:

1.    Roast the sesame seeds / til in a heavy bottomed pan on a low flame for about five minutes till a few of them start to make a popping sound.

2.     Remove from the pan and transfer in another bowl.

3.    In the same pan add two tablesoons of ghee and the jaggery pieces.

4.     The jaggery will begin to melt , keep stirring till it melts completely.

5.     Add the sesame seeds / til and stir to mix evenly.

6.     Transfer on a greased aluminium plate or any flat dish lined with aluminium foil and liberally grease the surface. Now you must apply a lot of ghee on the aluminium foil so that the chikki comes off easily.

7.     Roll it flat with a rolling pin and cut into squares while the til chikki is still hot.

8.     As soon as the  til chikki cools , transfer into an airtight box. The til chikki can stay for weeks .Serve the delicious til chikki to friends and relatives on Lohri or after dinner .

Indian sweets· jaggery· sesame seeds

Til chikki / sesame and jaggery candy

“The  thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest”.

                                        William Blake

The golden  fields , galore with the promise of a good harvest , the winter season coming to an end , high spirits and festivity  in the air.

     Here comes lohri…the harvest festival of the Punjabis.

   Amongst the many sweets and delicacies prepared on this day , the one ubiquitous sweet is the “til chikki”. 
Til chikki is thrown in the bonfire while singing songs of celebration. Til chikki is made with sugar and jaggery both .It can be prepared in a matter of minutes.

Here is how you can make til chikki at home.

Ingredients for making til chikki:

1.    100 grams sesame seeds / til

2.    100 grams jaggery

3.     2 tablespoons pure ghee

 Method of making til chikki:

1.    Roast the sesame seeds / til in a heavy bottomed pan on a low flame for about five minutes till a few of them start to make a popping sound.

2.     Remove from the pan and transfer in another bowl.

3.    In the same pan add two tablesoons of ghee and the jaggery pieces.

4.     The jaggery will begin to melt , keep stirring till it melts completely.

5.     Add the sesame seeds / til and stir to mix evenly.

6.     Transfer on a greased aluminium plate or any flat dish lined with aluminium foil and liberally grease the surface. Now you must apply a lot of ghee on the aluminium foil so that the chikki comes off easily.

7.     Roll it flat with a rolling pin and cut into squares while the til chikki is still hot.

8.     As soon as the  til chikki cools , transfer into an airtight box. The til chikki can stay for weeks .Serve the delicious til chikki to friends and relatives on Lohri or after dinner .

Jaggery cake

Jaggery cakes have a pleasant rustic flavour. Jaggery is high in iron content and a good alternative to sugar. The pleasant smell of jaggery reminds me of the summer and winter holidays we would spend with my grandparents at their farms where a big lump of jaggery was the daily dessert .

         I love tea made with jaggery too.....sounds too rural but it tastes heavenly with a fragrance of spices brewed with the tea. The caramelised colour of the tea is so delicious and a spicy snack is an absolutely irresistible combination . My sister often jokes that inspite of being born and brought up in cities I have an absolutely rural and rustic preference for food. I guess I haven't forgotten my roots.

       Village life in India has its charms and setbacks as well. But as a child one just sees the enjoyment part of it so thats how I want to keep the memories of the countryside visits. 

        Here goes the recipe of a jaggery cake which has always been my favourite in the winter months.

I had been wanting to put a jaggery cake since a long time and what best time than during the thick of the winter season .And  incidentally  this cake tastes best when it is eaten “hot hot”, either straight from the oven or warmed in a microwave for about 20 seconds.

Ingredients:

In American measuring cup of 250 ml

1.             ½ cup white sugar powder it after measuring it.

2.               125 grams butter

3.             1 egg

4.             1 cup grated jaggery or like I did , I just made a rough assessment by placing the big pieces in the cup and it seemed as if they would amount to about 1 cup ( just saved my effort of grating it)

5.             2 ½  cups  flour

6.             1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

7.             1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8.             1 teaspoon ginger powder

9.              1 cup water

Method:

1.            Place the jaggery and water in a pan and let it melt and combine well .

2.             Cream the butter and sugar and add the egg and mix well with an electric beater or a whisk.

3.             Sift the flour with the baking soda and the ground powders .

4.             Add the sifted flour and hot jaggery water alternatively to the  mixture and beat well.

5.            Pour in to greased tin ( I used a ring shaped tin here ) and bake in a preheated oven at 180° for fifty minutes.

cakes and bakes· ginger powder· jaggery

Jaggery cake

Jaggery cakes have a pleasant rustic flavour. Jaggery is high in iron content and a good alternative to sugar. The pleasant smell of jaggery reminds me of the summer and winter holidays we would spend with my grandparents at their farms where a big lump of jaggery was the daily dessert .

         I love tea made with jaggery too.....sounds too rural but it tastes heavenly with a fragrance of spices brewed with the tea. The caramelised colour of the tea is so delicious and a spicy snack is an absolutely irresistible combination . My sister often jokes that inspite of being born and brought up in cities I have an absolutely rural and rustic preference for food. I guess I haven't forgotten my roots.

       Village life in India has its charms and setbacks as well. But as a child one just sees the enjoyment part of it so thats how I want to keep the memories of the countryside visits. 

        Here goes the recipe of a jaggery cake which has always been my favourite in the winter months.

I had been wanting to put a jaggery cake since a long time and what best time than during the thick of the winter season .And  incidentally  this cake tastes best when it is eaten “hot hot”, either straight from the oven or warmed in a microwave for about 20 seconds.

Ingredients:

In American measuring cup of 250 ml

1.             ½ cup white sugar powder it after measuring it.

2.               125 grams butter

3.             1 egg

4.             1 cup grated jaggery or like I did , I just made a rough assessment by placing the big pieces in the cup and it seemed as if they would amount to about 1 cup ( just saved my effort of grating it)

5.             2 ½  cups  flour

6.             1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

7.             1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8.             1 teaspoon ginger powder

9.              1 cup water

Method:

1.            Place the jaggery and water in a pan and let it melt and combine well .

2.             Cream the butter and sugar and add the egg and mix well with an electric beater or a whisk.

3.             Sift the flour with the baking soda and the ground powders .

4.             Add the sifted flour and hot jaggery water alternatively to the  mixture and beat well.

5.            Pour in to greased tin ( I used a ring shaped tin here ) and bake in a preheated oven at 180° for fifty minutes.