Makar Sankranti Food and Traditions to Celebrate the Festival

Makar sankranti recipes and food ideas to cook and enjoy on Makar Sankranti from different parts of India.

Makar Sankranti or Sankranthi is celebrated all over India with different regional names such as Bihu, Pongal and Lohri. In this post I am sharing the recipes which you can make for the Makar Sankranti festival.

The year has kick-started and a new year brings to us, a new calendar! 14th January is marked as the festive celebration of Makar Sankranti or Maghi Sangrand. We associate this day with kites, dahi, til chikki ((sesame brittles) and many activities of fun and celebration. This day signifies the movement of the sun into the Capricorn sun sign.

It has multiple names: West India adopts it as Makar Sankranti, South India as Pongal and North India as Lohri. This day usually signals the inception of the famous Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh and completion of the harvesting season in Punjab and other parts of North India.

I have compiled Makar Sankranti food items and recipes which are served during the festival in the various states across India on this auspicious day, which also marks the new year according to Hindu Calender.

Watch Makar Sankranti Khichdi Recipe Video

The significance of Makar Sankranti and Food Items Served

Makar Sankranti or Maghi as it is known in Punjab is a solar event is one of few Hindu festivals that fall on the same day of the year even in desi calendar. So it falls on a fixed day every year. The festival also marks the transition of the sun(on its celestial pasts) into Makar Rashi

In India, no festival is complete without food, so there are many makar Sankranti food traditions that are followed across India. Below is a collection of some popular Makar sankranti food recipes that are served and enjoyed on this day.

Til Chikkis / Laddoos

Any Makar Sankranti celebration is incomplete without these sweet delicacies which are exchanged and consumed throughout the day. These are made using sesame seeds (til) and jaggery (gud).

People consume the Til chikkis, Til ke Laddu, and Panjeeri laddu with a saying “eat these sesame seeds and jaggery and speak sweet words”. By distributing these delicious sweets, people resolve to bury the past and start a productive chapter in their lives.

Sesame/Til dishes are common across the whole of India and is served with coconut and jaggery in South India.

Chiwda Curd (Dahi Chooda)

This is a makar sankrati special from Bihar. A speciality of the East Indian traditions, it is a simple mix of flattened rice (chura or chiwra) and curd (dahi). Instead of sugar, people opt for jaggery to sweeten the dish and add an authentic flavour. You may also add freshly cut vegetables and a little milk to make it a healthy and filling meal.

Khichdi Papad

Quite simply, no celebrations are complete without the authentic presence of aromatic khichdi and roasted papad in the North Indian households. Different types of khichdis are prepared in different states of India.

1. Baghari Khichdi Recipe
2. Moong Dal Khichdi Recipe
3. Chana Dal Khichdi Recipe
4. Maghi Khichdi
5. Healthy Vegetables Quinoa Khichdi
6. Dalia Khichdi
7. Sambar Sadam
8. Pongal 

Khichdi is a mixture of lentils (daal) and rice (chawal) cooked together in an enigmatic mixture of spices. You may also add veggies like potatoes, peas and cauliflower to this wholesome meal and serve it with freshly roasted or fried papad. Recipe of Makar Sankranti Khichadi Here 

Churma, Halwa and Kheer

Sweet Rajasthani churma is a delicious ensemble of wheat roasted in ghee and sugar with dry fruits to enhance the taste. Sooji Halwa and Kheer (many varieties of kheer) dominate the kitchens of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and adds to the sweetness of this occasion.

In punjabi homes we enjoy Gur ki rewdi, groundnuts (moongphali) and popcorns to celebtrate the festival of Lohri.

Puran Poli

This dish originated in Maharashtra and is enjoyed by many people on makar sankranti and other festivals. It is a classic flatbread stuffed with finely chopped jaggery, cooked and mashed chana dal mixed with til (sesame) and roasted gram flour. Pooran poli usually served with oodles of melted ghee poured over it.

Undhiyu

In Gujarat Makar sankrati festival is celebrated with their favourite lunch of undhiyu and jalebis. The other Makar Sankaranti food items in Gujarat are basundi , Till ki chikki, Khichdo and, goondar paak. In Gujarat this festival is known by name of Uttarayan. 

Pathishapta, Pithe Puli from Bengal

Makar Sankranti is known as Poush Sankranti in the state of West Bengal. Various types of Pathishapta, Pithe Puli and payesh, are popular foods for Makar Sankranti in Assam, Oddisa and West Bengal.

Sakkarai Pongal in South India

Traditional Sakkararai Pongal is cooked with rice, Jaggery, moong dal and cashew in ghee. Makar Sankranti is celebrated as a festival of abundance and known as Pongal in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu.

Makar Sankranti food has a great significance due to its symbolic value of completion and productivity. I hope you have a great day and year ahead of you!