3 Delectable Recipes To Triple The Joy Of The Kite Festival!

Kite flying forms a very important part of my childhood where it used it to be both a family affair and a major sport with friends, which sometimes even had us making our own kites from scratch.

I am sure as you read this, you reminisce your childhood days where the fascination for kite flying stood strong.

So, let us take a diversion from our serious articles on weight loss and talk about something very colorful and vibrant like the Kite Festival.

Kite Festival is quite a popular Indian festival, which takes place during Makar Sakranti, which falls in the month of January. Various Indian states celebrate the Kite Festival with much fervour and enthusiasm.

The tradition of Kite Festival dates back generations in India and the history of kite flying is elaborately displayed in the Kite Museum in Ahmedabad.

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Skilled kite makers from all across the world participate in the kite festival and trust me, it is a sight to watch and soak all the colours in!

As per the Hindu astronomy, the sun begins to move away from the Tropic of Capricorn on the day of Makar Sankranti when Kite Festival is celebrated.

The gradual end of summers and onset of winters mark the festival of Makar Sakranti along with the famous Kite Festival.

The food providers of the country or the farmers celebrate this day with full gusto as it also denotes the beginning of the harvest season for the crops.

Makar Sakranti or Uttarayan as it is sometimes called, is celebrated every year on January 14, in the Northern India. It is also called Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Another significance of Kite Festival or Makar Sakranti is that it is a memorial to Goddess Sankranti’s win over the evil and brutal Rakshasa (Demon) Sankarasur, who practised deadly and evil practices against the human beings.

Makar Sankranti or Kite Festival also denotes love, brotherhood and joy where people forgive and forget and share sweet and savoury delicacies with each other.

Here Is How Different States of India Celebrate the Kite Festival

The Kite Festival is largely celebrated in the North of India, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Mumbai also celebrates this festival with full spirit.

We are all aware of the colours and vibrance the states of Rajasthan have to offer to us and cities like Jodhpur become all the more amazing during the Kite Festival that leaves you awestruck.

Imagine looking up at the sky and all you can see are numerous colourful kites flying high and inviting you to join the celebrations!

It is a sight to behold! Like Jodhpur, Udaipur is another city in the state of Rajasthan where the Kite Festival holds significance and people make all the efforts to maintain the essence of the festival by celebrating it with their loved ones.

Ahmedabad, Jaisalmer and Mumbai are other cities where the Kite Festival is a significant occasion.

This Is The International Kite Festival in Gujarat

The International Kite Festival is organised by the Tourism Department of Gujarat and is held every year in Ahmedabad, which is also known as the kite capital of the state.

Artists from across the world, desiring to exhibit their kite making skills participate in the festival every year.

One has to actually witness to believe the exuberance of the splashes of colours that fill the skies with vivid images of all the colours coming together.

The watchers swear by the colourful memories they build of this festival.

It really is like playing Holi in the open skies. People from various international countries like Italy, China, Japan, France, Singapore, Indonesia, USA and UK amongst others visit India to participate in the Kite Festival.

What is a Festival Without Scrumptious Food?

Like any other Indian festival, the Kite Festival too cannot be complete without the mention of the yummilicious food it has to offer.

People take this festival as an occasion to gorge on delectables like Undhiyu (a vegetarian delicacy), Jalebi, Til Ladoo (a sweet made of sesame seeds) and Chikki (a sweet made from groundnuts and jaggery) and Paatishaapta.

So here goes our first recipe:

1. Gujarati Undhiyu

Ingredients:

• Raw Banana
• Small Potato
• Sweet Potato
• Elephant Foot (Suran)
• Yam (Rattaaloo)
• Tur
• Peas
• Surti Beans
• Vaal Paapdi
• Green Chillies
• Brinjal
• Green Chana

For the green mixture for Undhiyu:

• Coconut
• Coriander
• Green Garlic with Stem
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cashews
• Sesame Seeds

For the Spice Mix:

• Turmeric Powder
• Red Chilli Powder
• Coriander Powder
• Garam Masala Powder
• Sugar
• Lemon

For the Methi (Fenugreek) Pakoda:

• Gram Flour (Besan)
• Methi Leaves
• Wheat Flour
• Salt
• Water
• Oil

Cooking Method:

First, deep fry all the vegetables such as raw banana, yam, small potato, sweet potato and suran and keep them aside.

For the green paste, which actually provides the colour and flavour to the dish, now make a paste of all the ingredients mentioned for the green paste (chutney) along with the spices mentioned under the spice mix section.

Now for the methi pakodas (fenugreek fritters) to be added to the dish, you must mix in all the ingredients mentioned for the pakodas, make roundels and deep fry them in all and keep aside.

Pour 4 tablespoon of oil in the cooker and heat it up. Now deep fry the tur, green chana, surti beans and vaal papdi till they become crispy.  

Add the green chutney, into our crispy ingredients in the cooker, mixing it well. Now add the fried vegetables and the methi pakodas along with a dash of lemon and a tablepoon of sugar.

Do not mix the ingredients. Just cover the lid and give it a whistle. Serve hot with puris, parathas or steamed rice.

Our second mouthwatering recipes for the Kite Festival is Gujarati Til Laddu. Here it goes:

2. Gujarati Til Laddu

Ingredients:

• Add 1 1/4 cups Sesame Seeds (Til)
• Next 1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• 1 1/4 cups roughly chopped Gur (Jaggery)
• 1/4 cup roasted and crushed Peanuts
• 1/2 tsp Elaichi Powder (Cardamom)

Cooking Method:

Heat a broad non-stick pan and add the sesame seeds dry roasting them on a slow flame for around 10 minutes. Keep aside.

Now heat ghee in a deep non-stick pan. To this, add the jaggery and mix well. Cook this on a slow flame for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.

Now, add the sesame seeds, crushed peanuts and cardamom powder. Mix well and cook on a slow flame for around 1 minute. Stir this continuously.

Transfer the mixture onto a greased plate and let it cool for 1 to 2 minutes.

Take little water on your palms so that the mixture does not stick to your hands. Now divide the mix into small roundels and place them in an air-tight jar.

Your Till Laddus are ready.

And…. Here goes our third recipe… Bengali Paatishaapta

3. Bengali Paatishaapta

Ingredients:

• Sooji (Semolina) – 250   grams
• White Flour (Maida) – 400   grams
• Sugar – 200   grams
• Khoya – 300   grams
• Cooking Oil – 3 tablespoons
• Milk – 1 liter

Cooking Method:

Convert the milk into condensed milk by constant boiling and stirring.

Now add khoya along with 50 grams of sugar to the condensed milk. This will change the condensed milk into a semi liquid state.

In a bowl, add about 2 cups of water and gradually add the maida and suji to make a thick mixture. Now add around 200 gms of sugar.

Prepare the non stick flat frying pan by heating it and applying oil to it. Next, pour a bit of the suji-maida mix about on the hot pan and spread the mix on the pan till it takes a circular shape.

To this, add about 1 tablespoon of the semi liquid milk.

Roll the spread after 15-20 sec. Keep the roll on the pan on slow flame till it acquires a brownish colour. Serve hot.

So here was all we had to tell you about the famous and colourful Kite Festival along with delectable recipes for you. So enjoy the festival and have fun but do not forget to stay fit and healthy.

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