Sankranti

Happy Sankranti to one and all.
Well, here I start my new Food blog with Sankranti Specialties.

Sankranti is an important festival in India. The word is derived from sat and kranti, meaning "good movement." Sankranti means transmigration of Sun from one Rāshi (zodiac in Indian astrology) to the other. Hence there are 12 such Sankrantis in all. But the Sankaranti festival usually refers to Makara Sankaranti, or the the transition of the Sun from 'Dhanu' Rasi (Sagittarius) to 'Makara' Rasi (Capricorn). that marks the starting of Uttarayana, which means northern movement of Sun.

Well, the celebrations in Karnataka is marked by preparing and distributing “ellu-bella” and sugar candies called sakkare-achhu to friends and relatives. People greet with the words " “Ellu bella thindu, Olle Maathu Aadu”, meaning “Eat sesame seeds and jaggery and speak only good”. The significance of this exchange is that sweetness should prevail in all the dealings.

Additionally, newly wed ladies are expected to give ‘baagina’ to 5 ladies, containing bananas, dry fruits, dry coconut, haldi-kumkum, bangles, etc. The speciality of this custom is that she has to give 5 bananas in the first year and increase it by 5 every year till the fifth year! So, in the fifth year she will actually be giving 25 bananas to each of the 5 ladies!
Preparation of Ellu and Sakkare acchu does take quite an effort, but after it’s done, it does give a satisfaction too :)

Ellu Bella

Ellu Bella

Ingredients: Sesame seeds Jaggery Peanuts Fried gram Dry coconut Method: • Jaggery and coconut are separately cut into small pieces and dried in sunlight for about a week to get crispness • Peanuts are roasted and the husk is removed, and only neat, evenly sized ones are picked • Sesame seeds are slightly roasted • All the ingredients are mixed, when they are crisp enough • Optionally, sugar balls available in market can be added to give an enhanced taste.

Sakkare Acchu

Sakkare Achhu

Ingredients: Sugar Milk Curd Method: • Sugar is melted in a little water • A little milk and curd are added and heated continuously stirring • Once the syrup starts turning whitish, it is poured into wooden moulds of various shapes and sizes • The extra spilled out syrup is cleaned with a knife • If the consistency of the syrup is right, it hardens in a minute • After a couple of minutes, the candy can be removed from the mould