TILAACHE LAADOO (SESAME LADDOOS)

Makar Sankrant is a festival celebrated in Maharashtra in the month of January. It is a festival celebrating the solar cycle and almost falls on the same Gregorian date every year, i.e. 14th January. Quite rarely does the date shift by a day for a particular year, as it is this year itself where Makar Sankrant falls on 15th January.

The festivities associated with Makar Sankrant are known by various names such as Maghi / Lorhri by North Indian Hindus and Sikhs, Makara Sankranti / Pedda Pandaga in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, etc. In some states, you can find social festivities during this time like kite flying, dances, fairs, colourful decorations, bonfires, feasts, etc.

This is the time of the year, when sesame and other food stuff known for their heat are consumed to combat the chilly winters. Though nowadays the winters are no longer that severe as before in some states. Just like this laadoo, the sesame seeds are used to prepare vadis or chikki by some. Each state and community has their own traditional recipe for the same.

In Maharashtra, it is during this festival that the programme of Haldi Kunku is held in homes, when women are invited and Haldi (turmeric) and Kunku (Vermilion) are applied in small dots on the forehead and these laadoo are distributed alongwith some til halwa. Aster flowers and a small useful gift article too is distributed to the visiting women.

Do check out the delicious Bhogichi Bhaaji which is traditionally made a day prior to Makar Sankrant in Maharashtra!

For more such traditional sweetmeats recipes, do take a look at the following too….

1. Besan Laadoo

2. Kanik Laadoo

3. Shankarpali

4. Bhoplyaache Ghaargae

Here’s the recipe for Tilaache Laadoo….

Prep Time : 20 min

Yields : 62 Laadoo

Cooking Time : 10 min

Cup Used : 200 ml

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 1/2 cup Polished/Unpolished Til (Sesame Seeds …. 250 gm)
• 1 cup Shengdaane (Raw Peanuts …..100 gm)
• 1/2 cup Phutaanyachi Daal (Roasted Split Bengal Gram ….. 50 gm)
• 3/4 cup Dessicated Coconut (50 gm)
• 4 tsp Cardamom powder
• 250 gm Chikki cha Guul (Sticky jaggery available during Sankrant)
• 60 gm Chemical Free/Normal Jaggery …. Used in daily cooking (approx 1/2 cup + 2 tbs grated jaggery)
• 2 tsp Homemade Ghee (Clarified Butter)

METHOD :

1. To make Tilaache Laadoo, start with dry roasting the sesame seeds on low to medium heat for about 6-7 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. As soon as you notice a a slight change in colour and the sesame become crunchy (to be tested by eating a few), transfer them to a container.
3. Next, dry roast the raw peanuts till dark spots appear on them and they emit a roasted aroma.
4. Cool down the peanuts and peel them. Crush them slightly using a mortar and pestle.
5. Dry roast the dessicated coconut on low heat for about a minute.
6. Crush the roasted split bengal gram too, slightly with a mortar and pestle. You can opt to keep them whole.
7. Add the crushed peanuts and bengal gram to the roasted sesame. Add the cardamom powder as well as the roasted dessicated coconut and mix well.
8. Chop the chikki cha guul with a knife. This step is necessary as pieces of jaggery when heated melt uniformly rather than in the whole form.
9. Heat a kadhai or a pan and add homemade ghee to it. When it heats up, add the chopped chikki cha guul and stir continuously. Melt it on low heat.
10. When it is half melted, add the chopped chemical free jaggery and stir till all of it melts still keeping the heat low.
11. After all the jaggery has melted and it starts boiling a little, simmer further for about 4-5 minutes stirring constantly.
12. To check whether the jaggery is apt for the laadoo, fill some water in a glass saucer/dish.
13. Scoop 1/4 tsp of the melted jaggery in a spoon and pour it in the dish.
14. Start collecting it together with your fingers and form a ball.
15. When the ball stiffens in your fingers, hit it on the glass dish with a slight force. If you get the sound of a pebble hitting a glass, it indicates that the jaggery is perfectly melted.
16. Increase the flame to medium and stir for a minute.
17. Switch off the flame and immediately add to it the entire roasted mixture. Mix well.
18. GWhen the mixture is hot itself, grease your fingers and palms with some melted ghee and immediately form laadoo of desired sizes.
19. Let them sit in the plate for an hour or two. Then, store in an airtight container and serve the delicious Tilaache Laadoo during Makar Sankrant festivities!

Note :

In this recipe, I have used some plain jaggery too, as it helps to reduce the severe crunchiness of the sticky jaggery and the laadoo becomes easy to chew. This step is optional and can be substituted by the chikki cha guul itself.

If you observe, in this recipe the quantity of roasted ingredients is more than the jaggery. This actually again reduces the stiffness of the laadoo and makes it chewable, at the same time retaining the needed crunchiness. Some prefer using equal quantity of jaggery and total roasted ingredients!

The more you boil the jaggery, the more stiff will the laadoo become! Ultimately it’s all about personal choice!