Uttarayan and Makar Sankranti Menu: Chikki, Ladoo, Chai and Kadhi

A festival menu for Uttarayan and Makar Sankranti from Siddhi’s kitchen: the jaggery sweets she makes for the festival, a hot chai to go with them, and a Gujarati kadhi and khichdi dinner to end the day.

Siddhi makes til chikki for Makar Sankranti and serves peanut ladoo for Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti. Sukhdi is the Gujarati sweet she serves on festivals and auspicious days. All three are made with jaggery and ghee, then set or rolled by hand.

Every recipe in this plan is cooked in Siddhi’s own kitchen before it goes live.

The menu at a glance

Course by course

Festival sweets: make these first

Chai time: with the sweets

Festival dinner: kadhi and khichdi

Plan ahead

Make the sweets earlier in the day, before the chai and dinner:

• Til chikki: spread on a greased plate, cut and set for a few minutes.
• Sukhdi: spread, cut and set under a fan.
• Peanut ladoo and dry fruits ladoo are rolled by hand once the mixture is ready.
• Gujarati khichdi: soak the rice and moong dal for half an hour before dinner.

Shopping list, recipe by recipe

Each list below is the ingredient list from Siddhi’s recipe card, at the serving size the recipe makes. Open a recipe to scale it for your family.

Til Chikki (serves 4)

• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup jaggery, grated
• 1 tbsp ghee

Open the Til Chikki recipe

Peanut Ladoo (serves 4)

• 300 g peanuts, roasted and coarsely crushed
• 300 g jaggery, chopped, or jaggery powder
• 1 tbsp clarified butter (ghee), plus a little for greasing

Open the Peanut Ladoo recipe

Sukhdi (serves 4)

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 3/4 cup clarified butter (ghee)
• 3/4 cup jaggery

Open the Sukhdi recipe

Dry Fruits Ladoo (serves 4)

• 500 g dates
• 1 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
• 4–5 figs, finely chopped
• 200 g mixed dry fruits, finely chopped

Open the Dry Fruits Ladoo recipe

Tandoori Chai (serves 2)

• 1¾ cups milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp tea leaves
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp tea masala
• 1 green cardamom
• 1 clay pot or earthen cup (kulhad)

Open the Tandoori Chai recipe

Adrak Masala Chai (serves 2)

• 1 cup milk, full-fat or low-fat
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp tea leaves
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and washed
• 2 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp chai masala

Open the Adrak Masala Chai recipe

Gujarati Kadhi (serves 4)

• 500 ml buttermilk
• 1/2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp ginger paste
• 2 green chillies, crushed
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 8–10 curry leaves
• 1½ tbsp gram flour (besan)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Open the Gujarati Kadhi recipe

Gujarati Khichdi (serves 2–3)

• 1/2 cup rice
• 1/2 cup split green gram (green moong dal)
• 1 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
• 3–4 cloves and a piece of cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp curd
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Open the Gujarati Khichdi recipe

FAQs

Which sweets are made for Makar Sankranti?

Siddhi makes til chikki for Makar Sankranti and serves peanut ladoo for Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti. Both are made with jaggery and ghee.

Is there a sugar free sweet in this menu?

Yes. Siddhi’s dry fruits ladoo is sweetened with dates and figs and has no sugar in the recipe.

What goes with Gujarati kadhi?

Siddhi serves Gujarati kadhi with khichdi, and recommends her Gujarati khichdi with it.

How do I melt jaggery for chikki and ladoo?

Our guide to cooking with jaggery puts Siddhi’s til chikki, peanut ladoo and sukhdi methods side by side.

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