Tilkut Ladoo| Til Gud Ladoo | Sesame and Jaggery balls

Meethe Gud me mil gaya Til,

Udi Patang aur khil gaye Dil,

Jeevan me bani rahe Sukh aur Shanti,

Mubarak ho aapko Makar-Sankranti

"Makar Sankrati" or "Sankrat" is one of the major festivals in the state of Maharashtra and Rajasthan (It is also celebrated in other states with different names). The day is celebrated with some special Rajasthani delicacies and sweets such as pheeni (either with sweet milk or sugar syrup dipped), til-paati, gajak, kheer, ghevar, pakodi, puwa, and til-ladoo.

The ladies observe a kind of ritual in which they give any type of object (related to household, make-up or food) to 13 married women, we call it Terunda (13 things) . People give out many kind of small gifts such as til-gud (jaggery), fruits, dry khichadi, etc. to Brahmins or the needy ones. Kite flying is traditionally observed as a part of this festival. On this occasion the sky is filled with kites, and youngsters engage in kite contests trying to cut each other's strings.

Til Laddus are a traditional Marwadi/Maharastrian sweet made with Sesame seed, Jaggery and ghee. Served on various ocassions and festivals. This particular dessert is especially popular during winter months as sesame has heating properties. In Maharashta While exchanging til-gul as tokens of goodwill people greet each other with the words, "तिळगुळ घ्या आणि गोड गोड बोला/til-gul ghya, aani god god bola" meaning ‘Accept these tilguls and speak sweet words’. The underlying thought in the exchange of til-gul is to forget the past ill feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.

Here comes the recipe. I like this type of ladoo better than the one where jaggery is melted in wok and then ladoos are formed.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Til

• 1 cup Jaggery

• 2 tbsp Ghee

Method:

Dry roast til/sesame till it turns slightly pink.  Chop the jaggery into small pieces. Grind both ingredients once til is cooled.

Add ghee and bind into small ladoos or just enjoy the tilkul as is. Easy peasy J