Til ke Gajak/laddoo: Making til gajak or laddoo is a tradition followed in most Indian households during this festival. All you have to do is melt jaggery and pour in lots of toasted sesame seeds, transfer this on a worktop, flatten to make a gajak or simply shape them in laddoos. Remember, to make a big batch of these as one laddoo or a gajak is never enough!

Tilwale Paneer: Tilwale paneer when perfectly cooked will give you that crunchy bite and is a great snack to nibble on while you enjoy kite flying festival. If you don’t like sesame sweets, this starter made with cottage cheese is the perfect option. Dip marinated cottage cheese batons in batter of your choice, coat them with black or white sesame seeds and shallow-fry to get a rich and a perfect Sankranti snack!

Kurmura Laddoo: Popular amongst Punjabis during Lohri. They celebrate the end of winter with bonfires, folk songs, roasted sesame and of course kurmura laddoos!  Melt jaggery and add in sufficient amount of puffed rice, roll the warm mixture into laddoos or flatten and cut them to pieces to make chikkis! Add in roasted peanuts or make it rich with roasted dried fruits, and create your version of laddoos!

Chole Dhaniya Masala: Prepare a whole meal with a combination of conventional and innovative recipes on this festive occasion to delight your family and friends. Perfectly cooked chickpeas in a coriander flavoured spicy gravy and served with fluffy bhature or fried puris make a perfect maincourse option. Or substitute coriander preparation with your choice of gravy and dish up an altogether new recipe! 

Badam aur Suji ka Halwa: Any festival in India is incomplete without halwa. Likewise, during Makar Sankranti, enjoy the flavorful badam and suji halwa. It is quick to make and the goodness of semolina and crunch of almonds will put you in a festive mood!

Browse for more Makar Sankranti recipes on SanjeevKapoor.com and watch SanjeevKapoorKhazana on YouTube.