Before I write about the food and festive experience around Sankranti, I have to tell you about Sankranti. In the US, it is not particularly famous unlike Diwali and Holi. It does not get as much fanfare. Sankranti is a Hindu festival that signifies the transition of the sun into makara aka Capricorn. Hindu festivals are determined by the hindu calendar which is based on astronomical transitions. This festival generally occurs in January. This is also the time for first harvest. India has always been an agricultural country. So the festival is celebrated across many states in different forms. In Andra Pradesh and many north Indian states, it is celebrated by performing rituals and taking holy dips in the river to pay homage to the Sun God. In Gujarat and Mahasrastra, the festival is marked by bright colorful kite flying. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Sankranti is celebrated by decorating the house and preparing sweet and savory dish from freshly harvested rice and daal along with some spices, called pongal. Farmers offer their first harvest to Sun as sign of gratitude and pray for successful crops. If internet is to be believed, the festival also signifies the end of Winter Solstice and beginning of Spring Equinox.
This festival brings back a lot of joyous, nostalgic memories with my family from my childhood (Bangalore and Jog). On the day of the festival, we would wake up early in the morning and take a head-shower. The doors are decorated with freshly prepared torana (aka bunting) made from new leaves of mango tree. This was followed by a small ritual with sun salutations which would last until noon. By then, family and I would be eagerly waiting for our festival brunch usually consisting of sweet and savory pongal, rave unde (samolina balls) and drink gasagase paysa (a poppy seeds dessert). The poppy seeds dessert and full stomach would put us to a good sleep. We would then watch a movie together as a family. Back in the days, new movies would get released on India festivals when families would sit together and watch the newly released movies. In the evening, neighbors and extended families visit each other to wish and also share yellu with acchu. Yellu is traditionally prepared with white sesame, sugar mould cubes/jaggery pieces, dry coconut, roasted peanuts and sometimes bengal grams. Acchu is made by pouring hot sugar syrup into intricately carved wooden or metallic molds and left to cool to harden. It is not only a way to welcome spring and pray to sun god but also a great social event to meet friends and family.
For the last 3 years, I have been celebrating Makara Sankranti in US by preparing pongal and nucchina unde along with peanut chutney. I would also make gasgase paysa or yellu-unde (powdered black sesame with jaggery and coconut made into a ball) on Sankranti but missed out this year.
Here is what I made this Makara Sankranti. I made coconut chutney since I ran out of peanuts. It was good but nothing beats peanut chutney.
Unlike baking, cooking is to be learnt from experience. There are certainly tips and tricks for cooking better but to cook with flavors and understand the depth, one must experiment a few times. Humans have taste receptors on their tongue that respond to sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory tastes. But sensitivity varies from person to person. And sometimes food preferences are based on cultural influence one grew up in. Here is my preferred recipe for Pongal, Nuccinunde and Chutney.
Pongal: This dish has references to it in the Tamil literature which dates back to 300BCE to 300 CE and is traditional dish done in South India. Typically made from rice and lentil, I enjoy the variation made with avarekai (also known as Hyacinth beans in English).
Nucchinunde : This is also a traditional dish, a type of dumping made from mixture of different daal. There is no literature around it. Has been passed down through generations. I enjoy the texture and the subtle flavor variation which makes this dish hearty and healthy.
Chutney although seems like an add-on, plays a vital role in the overall experience of a dish. It can add more flavors, provide a contrast in texture and balance the flavors. In a lot of ways, it can make or break a dish.
Avarekai Pongal recipe :
(Requires a pressure cooker/some vessel that can be used to cook rice)
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw rice, washed
- 1 cup moong dal, washed (equal parts with rice)
- 1 tbsp of cumin (jeera)
- 1/2 cup avarekai (separated from the pods)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste (not added during festivals)
- 5 cups of water
- Salt to taste.
- 1 tbsp of coarsely powdered pepper corns.
- 1/2 cup finely chopped roasted cashews.
My personal favorite chutney is peanut chutney which goes well with dose, idli and other south Indian delicacies. The sweet flavor from peanut balances out the herby flavor from coriander.
Nucchinunde recipe:
(Requires a steamer/steaming pots. Indian cooker works well too)
Just like pongal, there are many variations. I personally love the one with tur daal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup tur dal (Soaked in water overnight)
- 1/2 cup chenna dal (Soaked in water overnight)
- 1/2 cup moong dal (Soaked in water overnight)
- 1 cup chopped coconuts. Chunky coconuts preferred.
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped. Would recommend chopping instead of grating to get the gingery bite
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt ( salt to taste)
Chutney recipe :
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted peanuts*
- 1/2 cup Cilantro
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 green chilly - I use frozen chilly. you can use fresh ones and adjust according to your flavor profile
- 1/2 inch of finally chopped ginger.
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup water (vary amount based on desired consistency