Winters are full of warm blankets,picnics and delicious food.But with the COVID situation socially distanced picnics are the new thing.
But one thing hasn’t changed.That’s the celebration of harvest festivals.
With Makar Sankranti, Poush Sankranti in West Bengal and Lohri in Punjab.,Bihu in Assam and Pongal in the south anywhere in India you will get the feeling of celebrations .
What’s really great about these festival are the fresh from harvest delicacies .
Various pithe,puli, patishapta, payesh are the need of the season in West Bengal.
My principles around such delicacy was always as the taster and helper in the kitchen.Every year I wait patiently for the deliciousness to be gifted and I am happy to say ,it has started .
What arrived this year for Poush Sakranti
Gokul pithe :These are delicious fried dumplings made of kheer ,coconut ,then batter fried and dipped in sugar syup.This is something my sister-in-law makes really well.
Pati saptha-Thin rice flour crepes with stuffings of kheer, sweetened with date palm jaggery,coconut .It’s super pretty,lacy ,delicate and delicious .You justcan’t stop at one.My sister makes these to a perfection.
Seddho pithe -Rice dumplings stuffed with coconut,jaggery,kheer and boiled in milk then dunked in jaggery sweetened kheer.It’s decadent,melt in the mouth and needs serious expertise.Something another sister in law is great at.
Lohri special til ka laddoo came too!The nip in the air and the til ka chikki are my favorite food.They crunchy ,sticky and taste great.
Sharing about these makes my mouth water.Hope you enjoyed listening to this as much as I enjoyed talking about these.
On Makar sakranti or Poush sakranti people also visit the Sagar mela at Ganga sagar in West Bengal for the holy dip in the Ganges.
With 2021 standing on the verge of new beginnings e-holy dips are being encouraged.
Hope you have a lovely Makar Sankranti with your family .
P.S :This blog post will be updated with more pithe that gets delivered.