Harvest on Your Plate – Celebrate the Flavours of Sankranti, Pongal & Bihu

The harvest festival is one of the major festivals of India, celebrated throughout the nation and known by various names in different states! In Tamil Nadu, it’s Pongal; Sankranti in West Bengal, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh; Lohri in Punjab and Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra and Bihu in Assam.

Each region is known for its specialty dish, which mainly uses newly harvested rice, jaggery, coconut, ghee, and daal (or lentils) or a combination of any or all of these ingredients.

While most city dwellers miss out on the festivities and fun seen in rural areas, we can make some of the signature dishes crafted in each region. Today, we focus on 3 dishes; The Likotia or Gheela Pitha made in Assam for Bihu; the Gul Poli made in Maharashtra for Makar Sankranti; and Mochai Kulambu made in Tamil Nadu, for the Pongal festival.

Let’s dive in!

Gul Poli for Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra

People exchange sesame-jaggery sweets with the greeting, "Tilgul ghya aani goad goad bola" (Have the sesame sweet and speak sweet words). Gul Poli, a jaggery and sesame-stuffed flatbread, is a festive lunch special. Its crunchy, sweet filling of ground sesame, groundnuts, jaggery, and besan makes it a Sankranti favorite.

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup maida
• 2 tbsp warm oil (groundnut/vegetable)
• Pinch of salt
• Water as needed

Filling:

• ¾ cup grated jaggery
• 3 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp roasted groundnut powder
• 1½ - 2 tbsp besan
• 2-3 cardamom (ground)
• Godrej Jersey Ghee (as needed)

Preparation

• Sift wheat flour and maida. Add salt and make a well in the center.
• Pour in lukewarm oil and mix. Gradually add lukewarm water to knead a firm dough.
• Coat fingers with oil and lightly rub the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for an hour.
• Heat a tawa and cook the gul poli on medium heat till both sides are golden brown. Apply ghee while the poli is being cooked. Serve hot with a dollop of Godrej jersey ghee.

Gheela Pitha

This dish resembles Korean tteokbokki. Made with freshly harvested sticky rice, likotia pitha can be sweet or salty. "Likotia" means stretchy, thanks to the gluten in sticky rice. Crisp outside, sticky and gooey inside.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bora saul (Assamese sticky rice, red or white)
• ¼ cup jaggery or salt to taste
• Water (for kneading)
• Mustard oil (for frying)
• Rust-free iron tawa (for frying)

Preparation

• Wash, dry, and grind the rice coarsely. Sieve with a medium-net sieve.
• Mix flour with jaggery (or salt). Add water to make a soft dough. Rest for 30 mins.
• Shape into thick discs.
• Heat mustard oil in a tawa. Fry discs, stirring to prevent sticking. Flip and fry both sides evenly.
• Serve with black tea and jaggery.

Mochai Kuzhambu

As the fields brim with fresh harvest, farmers bring home vegetables and beans to make dishes like pacha mochai (field beans) and thattai payir (cow peas). These are cooked with brinjal, pumpkin, and other seasonal vegetables in a tangy gravy. Horsegram mash (kollu paruppu), kollu rasam, and pumpkin stir-fry are enjoyed with steamed raw rice from newly harvested paddy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Lima beans (Mochai)
• 1 ½ cups Black-eyed beans (Thattai Payir)

For the Masala

• Handful of shallots
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 5 tbsp coriander seeds/powder
• 10 dry red chillies
• Few curry leaves
• 15-20 garlic pods
• 1 cup chopped pumpkin
• 1 cup diced brinjal
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• tamarind (soaked)
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• Pressure-cook mochai with a spoon of castor oil. Repeat for thattai payir.
• Combine both in a pan and bring to a boil.
• Grind masala (without roasting) and add to the beans.
• Once boiling, add vegetables, tomatoes, and tamarind water.
• Prepare tadka with onions, red chillies, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. Pour over the curry.

Which harvest special recipe are you trying this season? Let us know in the comments!