Rewari is a recipe close to my heart. Tiny titbits of this gajak recipe melt your heart each time. The west has its candies and marsh mellows. We have these Indian pralines. Both give you a sugar rush. However, ours has nutrients too. You can make them from jaggery instead of sugar. Some people make it from sugar too. However, I prefer the jaggery one. Natural sugar is always better.
The commercial version is cylindric. Though, you may give it a round shape at home. These little pralines are a bound with tradition. They are distributed during Holi and Lohri. We offer it as prasad during rounds of bonfire. Keep your energy up while you dance all evening. Helps you keep warm too.
What is Lohri ?
Lohri is a Punjabi harvest festival. It is the first festival of the calendar year. How I miss mine back home? I have so many memories. Lighting a huge bonfire on 13th January each year. I would wait for this every year. Once, Lohri was lit, music begun. All of us would sing songs on the mike. Dance around. Finally, end the evening with good food. So magical.
I have a smile on my face even as I write about those special memories. Little did we know as children, one day all this, would just be a memory. I may be far away now. Yet it was a close knit group which still stays in touch. When you are lucky, friends are family. Cherish your friendships. Water them with trust, give it love and good food, they will last a lifetime.
Did you know there is a special folk song which is synonymous with Lohri?
Sundar Mundariye ho! tera kaun vichara, dulha Bhatti wala ho!
Our folk songs carry the fragrance of our culture. We must always teach our children and pass it on. We must never forget our roots while we embrace the winds of change. This song praises the local hero or robin hood, Dulha Bhatti. He would help arrange weddings of the poor girls. Those who could not afford dowry would seek his help. Sundar and Mundar were two such girls. He made his own song as he did not know any hymns. He would ask the groom and bride to circle the fire while he sung this.This song is still sung when the bonfire is lit.
My Bestie still sings this song for me. Brings me so much happiness 🙂
What is Sankranti?
It is a harvest festival across India. We also call it with different names across India. Pongal in the South, Lohri in North. Makar Sankranti , Uttarayan in the west and Magh Bihu in east.
What happens today?
The earth starts moving northwards this day. Days start getting longer. Nights shorter. Sun also enters Capricorn zodiac sign. Thus, marking the end of month of winter solstice. We also worship the Sun for its role in our life. On this day, people take a bath with sesame seed oil. It is marked with kite flying competitions. Bonfires are lit in the evening. We enjoy with great food. Sesame is the main ingredient. Til Ladoo, Til mawa barfi, til patti and gajak are in season. That brings us to the question..
Why do we eat sesame in winter?
Indian rituals and festivals and Ayurveda are in total sync. Each festival has a special dish. This is according to the weather conditions. It is winter until late January. Hence, it is very cold in most parts of India. Thus, people avoid food that may increase mucus in the body. This helps avoid flu and cold naturally. People follow Ayurveda even after centuries and this reinforces the reason why our civilization survives after 1000 s of years. Sesame keeps the body warm from inside. It also gives you essential Vitamin E. This helps us to avoid dryness of skin and hair.
Think about it?
In olden days, we didn't have heaters. People believed in more in natural ways of keeping the body warm. Hence, they learnt to increase immunity against cold, flu and infections. People consumed foods made with jaggery, ghee and sesame in their diet in winters. Sesame keeps us warm internally. Jaggery gives iron. Ghee gives strength to bones. Ghee also helped in avoiding dryness of the skin.
Other foods that give your body heat internally are poppy seeds, pepper and nuts.
Ingredients
- oasted sesame seeds or til
- palm sugar/ jaggery /natural cane sugar
- coconut oil
- rose water optional
- refer to recipe card for details
how to make rewari?
- Dry roast sesame seeds for 10 mins on a low flame. Keep it aside.
2. In a pan, heat ghee. You may use oil if vegan. Add chopped jaggery. Let it cook on low flame until it melts.
3. Mix well until it dissolves.
4. In bowl of water, add a drop of jaggery to check if it is brittle and solidifies.
5. Now, add cardamom powder, sesame seeds. Mix well. Switch off flame.
6. Mix well.
7. Roll them into balls. Flatten them to get the desired shape. Store in a clean dry airtight jar.
You will love it as much as I do. They taste so yum that you will never want the sugar one. Ditch the commercial one. Make your batch. Tag us on Instagram @secondrecipe. Would love to see the pictures or video. Enjoy!
Related links
Lohri Revdi
Ingredients
- ¼ cup roasted sesame seeds or til
- ¼ cup jaggery /natural cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon rose water optional
Instructions
- Dry roast sesame seeds for 10 mins on a low flame.Keep it aside.
- In a pan, add ghee or oil, and chopped jaggery with rose water. Let it cook on low flame until it melts.keep on cooking on low flame.
- In bowl of water,add a drop of jaggery to check if it is brittle and solidifies.
- Now, add sesame seeds and mix well.Switch off flame.
- On a bowl of hot water, place the metal pan with rewadi mix while you roll them.This will keep the mix warm while you make the praline.
- Roll the rewadi and flatten them.
- Store in a dry jar. Serve fresh.
Notes
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation while cooking
Please share your inputs..