Lohri 2023: Lohri is one of the biggest harvest festivals in India. Lohri is celebrated every year on January 13, a day before Makar Sankranti, and marks the end of the winter solstice and it’s the time for the harvest of rabi crops. The festival is all about the bonfire, folk songs and dances, gajak, revdi, and Sarson ka saag. No festival is complete without good food. Every festival in India has its own traditional dishes –Gujiya on Holi and Sivaiya on Eid. Similarly, some traditional dishes are made on Lohri, as well. Let’s take a look at dishes that can be prepared quickly on the special occasion of Lohri:
CHAWAL AUR GANNE KE RASS KI KHEER by Executive Chef Rajnish Malkoti, Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels Shimla
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh sugarcane juice
- 1/2 cup good quality basmati rice rinsed well and soaked in water for 30-40minutes
- 1 green cardamom, pounded
- 1 1/4 cups full fat milk
- 1/4 cup mixed nuts and raisins
- 1 tsp desi ghee
Method
- Strain the sugarcane juice into a heavy based saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. As the juice boils, scum will start to rise to the surface. Use a large spoon or strainer to scoop and discard it (remove it from the sides of the pan as well). You will need to repeat this process until all the scum has been removed.
- Drain the rice well and add it to the saucepan along with the cardamom. Stir the mixture frequently over medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes. As the rice starts to soften, the kheer will thicken.
- Turn down the heat and cover the saucepan. Continue to cook the kheer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is fully cooked. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to and boil. Add it to the kheer and stir well.
- In a small pan heat the ghee and fry the nuts and raisins until golden and add to the kheer. Cover and simmer the kheer for 5-7 more minutes or until it thickens to the desired consistency. Remove from heat and keep for cooling.
- Garnish with the nuts and raisins and serve cold.
Sugar free Apricot sesame laddu by Chef Akash Khandelwal, Sous Chef, Pastry & Bakery, Welcomhotel Sheraton New Delhi
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup white sesame seeds & 1/3 cup Chopped Apricots
- ¼ cup peanuts
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut
- ½ cup powdered jaggery / ½ cup palm jaggery or use 6 gm stevia
- 3 tablespoon water
Method: –
- Heat a kadai or pan and add the white sesame seeds in it. The pan should not be too hot, but on a low heat.
- On a low flame roast the sesame seeds. Stir at intervals.
- The sesame seeds pop and change color. On a low heat, this takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown them.
- Remove and set aside in a plate.
- Then add the peanuts. Dry roast the peanuts on a low heat stirring often until they become crunchy and get a few black spots or blisters on them.
- Remove the peanuts in a mortar-pestle or on a plate. Allow them to cool.
- In the same pan, add the desiccated coconut.
- Stir continuously and roast the coconut until it become light golden or golden. Switch off the heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- When the peanuts have cooled, crush them coarsely. You can also crush them in a dry grinder.
- Add the coarsely crushed peanuts to the roasted coconut and sesame seeds.
- Next add the cardamom powder.
- Mix very well. Set aside.
- Take the above mixture add the chopped apricots and add the melted jaggery or stevia.
- Water helps in binding a mixture and shape in round balls coated with sesame.
Paya Shorba Recipe by Manohar Reny Duddi, Executive Chef of Welcomhotel by ITC
Ingredients
- Mutton Trotters cleaned
- Black pepper corns
- Green Cardamom
- Cloves
- Black cardamom
- Desi Ghee
- Turmeric powder
- Garam Masala
- Whole onion
- Onion Sliced
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Salt
- Green Chilly Slit
- Fresh mint leaves
Method
- Wash mutton trotters with wheat flour, vinegar and water for 3-4 times.
- Put the trotters in the pressure cooker with whole spices tied in a muslin cloth.
- Add one whole onion, turmeric powder and 5-6 cups of water and pressure cook for around 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a cooking vessel, add ghee.
- Add chopped ginger garlic and saute till garlic turns light brown.
- Add chopped onion and saute till translucent
- Add slit green chillies and put the mutton paya stock from the pressure cooker.
- Don’t forget to remove whole onion and muslin cloth from the stock.
- Add water if you want your shorba to be thin.
- Boil the shorba on medium heat for good 10 minutes with lid on.
- Add salt and garam masala.
- Serve hot with freshly chopped mint leaves on top.
Foxtail Millet Kheer by Executive Sous Chef Shankar Tajne, Hotel Centre Point
- Ingredient’s
- Foxtail Millet 100gm
- Yellow Moong Dal 30gm
- Water 350ML
- Jaggery 200gm
- Milk 500ML
- Cashew 20gm
- Pure Ghee 50gm
- Cardamom pods 1gm
- Raisins 15gm
- Almond Flakes2gm
- Method
- In a pan, melt the pure ghee and add the cashews and cardamom pods.
- Cook until golden and set aside. Now heat the ghee in the same pan.
- Repeat with the foxnuts until they are golden in color.
- Add the moong dal and set aside. Now take a pressure cooker and cook.
- By adding water inside for three whistles, you can roast millet and daal.
- Now, heat a pan with jaggery and water until the jaggery melts. dissolving and thickening in consistency. Now transfer the cooked millet.
- Cook for 3–4 minutes after adding the dal to the jaggery mixture. Lower the heat, add the milk and mix well.
- Add the fried cashews, cardamom, raisins, and 5 minutes of cooking time for the kheer.
- Serve hot with a sprinkle of nuts on top for garnish and to satisfy your cravings, especially if you have a sweet tooth.
Kodre ki Khichdi by Executive Chef Navneet Singh, Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels Amritsar
Ingredients
- 3 cups kodo millet
- 1 cup moong daal
- 1 cup vegetables (carrots, beans, Green Peas & potatoes)
- 2 tbsp Chopped Coriander
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp jeera
- 3 Cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1.5 tbsp garlic chopped
- 1” piece Cinnamon
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak the kodo millet for at least 4-5 hours & the daal ½ an hour.
- Now wash them well and drain the water.
- Cook both kodo and daal separately in a cooker as kodo will take more time to get cooked than the daal.
- Take a Pan and heat ghee.
- Add jeera, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon
- Add garlic and sauté it till it turn golden in colour.
- Add onion and sauté till translucent.
- Add the mixed vegetables and sauté.
- Add tomatoes and cook them on slow flame till they turn mushy.
- Once done add the spices.
- Now add the cooked kodo and dal.
- Mix well, add about 1/2 cup water and pressure cook for a whistle.
- Open the cooker after the pressure is released.
- Stir and serve with some more ghee garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Choliya Paneer by Chef Dheeraj Mathur, Cluster Executive Chef at Radisson Blu Hotel Kaushambi Delhi NCR
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 200 grams choliya
- 100 grams paneer
- 3 tomatoes, pureed
- 2 onions & 1 green chilli pureed
- 150 ml milk
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 3-4 tsp chopped hara dhania
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp/to taste salt
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi
- 500 ml water
Method –
- Keep pan on medium heat & add oil
- When oil is hot added onion puree & saute till light pink
- Add the ginger & garlic pastes & saute till light brown
- Add salt, turmeric powder, deghi mirch & kasuri methi. stir roast for 1/2 minute
- Add tomato puree & stir cook for a minute & half
- Add the choliya & cook for 5 minutes
- Add milk, garam masala & some hara dhania. cook for 2 minutes
- Add water & mix well. raise heat to high & let it come to a boil
- Reduce heat to low & cover with a lid. cook for about 10 minutes checking in between a few times, after 10 minutes the hare chane are almost cooked. add the paneer, raise heat to high & mix well. Cook for a minute remove to a serving bowl & garnish with hara dhania.