Makar Sankranti 2023: Mumbai chefs share unique recipes from their communities

Pearls of winterMeena Subramanian home chefThe slight nip in the air makes us want to snack on foods that keep our bodies warm Nuts and jaggery are rich in protein and iron and make us strong Kadalai urundai is a chikki thatrsquos made across Tamilian households as soon as the temperature drops Halved peanuts are roasted added to jaggery syrup and shaped into balls making them look like gleaming pearls clinging to one another The thing about visual appeal is that itrsquos greatly dependent on how we serve our food Log on to perimaskitchen for limited meals on SundaysSugar toysHarpal Singh Sokhi chefMaghi and Lohri bring back fond childhood memories Back then we didnrsquot take as many pictures on every occasion yet the cheer feels fresh on recollecting My mother and the neighbourhood aunties would gather to make and mould sugar candies also called khilona mithais They were patterned after clay toys mdash swans hen fish tops elephants chariots and so on mdash in bright pink blue and yellow These batashas can be found both online and at citybased sweet shopsLog on to kandrafoodscom visit Lucky Sweets in AndheriTimeless patternsSomma Ghosh home chefAfter completing her daily cooking in the morning my dida maternal grandmother would settle down with pithemaking in the afternoon hours The other women of the house gathered around her to help Poush Sankranti in Bengal meant every household would get busy with making pithes mdash a dumpling or pancakelike dish available in multiple varieties mdash that use nolen gur rice flour grated coconut and khoya Nakshi Pithe mdash where Nakshi derives from naksha or intricate patterns mdash caught my notice for its artistic appeal Itrsquos one of the many symbols of my roots in East Bengal that is modernday Bangladesh Rice is soaked overnight ground into a paste using a stone mortar and pestle kneaded into a ball steamed and then rolled out to adopt designs One recurrent design resembled the veins on a leaf Those were the days This year I am accepting orders for Nakshi Pithe in small batches However my Sankrantispecial menu features tilnarkelmotor dalrsquoer bora nolen gurrsquoer payesh and nolen gurrsquoer bhapa doi among other vegetarian delicacies Call 9820462881Cost Rs 285 onwards for the sweetsLog on to kitchentalesb ysommaghoshSweet little wondersManju Velkar home chef hungrycatkitchenI married into the Pathare Prabhu community and can think of two attractive dishes that are made during this season Since til and gud reign over the winter months we fashion a mix of the two ingredients to make edible art for kids in the family Such dishes are usually made for newborn babies The mix can be moulded into an edible bat and ball or musical instruments I once made a bright golden crown and a dinosaurus for my sonOne of our grandmothers used to make kaateri halwa a ridged sweet made on a grain of elaichi or a tiny shaving of almond or cashew It requires layers of hot sugar syrup to rest in a brass utensil Nowadays for other Maharashtrian snacks and sweets like patti rewri and gajak we like PatilKaki and DilOCious Log on to patilkakicom and dilociouscomTheir choicest picksgtgt Eyes on AaswadHosthumorist Kunal Vijayakar says ldquoI really like Chitale Bandhursquos til laddoos This season I am interested in Aaswadrsquos Sankranti thali that will have preparations like mirgund kadhi bhogi bhaaji and teel satori For other Maharashtrian snacks I recommend Kutumbsakhirdquogtgt That homely tasteSonali Kulkarni says that gud poli is really important in Maharashtrian homes ldquoI avoid ordering it Every year I make gudpoli at home For tilachi vadi and til gud laddoo I have been relying on Ruchi Sweets in Vile Parle Eastrdquogtgt Til of the matterWhen in the city chef and restaurateur Ajeet Kalbag likes to get his Sankranti fix from Heerson in Vile Parle East and Vijay Stores in Santacruz ldquoI would trust them with rajgira bites black til laddoos kurmura laddoos and other festive sweetsrdquo