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Winter is a time to devour some delicious delicacies and savories, especially made with ingredients that keep you warm. And when it’s the season of Lohri and Makar Sankranti, how can we forget the goodness of gur or jaggery, sesame, and peanuts ? From chikki to gajak and revadi – most of the traditional sweets for the festival are made with gur, which is loaded with benefits.
A whole lot of people have started switching from consuming white sugar to jaggery powder to cut the calorie count and promote a healthy lifestyle. The festival of harvest, Makar Sankranti, and Lohri are the perfect time of the year to cook some delicious gur-based sweets at home. This wonder sweetener not just keeps us warm, but is also a great immunity booster.
Nutritionist, Avni Kaul, Dietician and wellness coach, tells HealthShots about it! benefits of jaggery or gur.
Gur is a rich source of antioxidants and minerals, which help in keeping the body healthy and give it the strength to fight infections. Gur is a source of iron which helps in keeping the hemoglobin in range, therefore, preventing anemia and other blood-related problems.
Some studies have shown that including gur in your diet on regular basis may prevent respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis. It also helps in relieving the symptoms of cold and cough.
Gur is a natural blood purifier and also helps in flushing out the toxins from the body.
Gur helps in soothing out the effect of arthritis by relieving pain in joints.
Because of the presence of sodium and potassium, Gur may help in keeping the blood pressure in range.
Gur may help in keeping the digestive tract healthy and prevent constipation by maintaining bowel movement.
Ingredients:
* 3 tbsp rolled oats
* 1 fist walnuts
* 2 tbsp jaggery powder
* 1 tbsp ghee
Method:
1. Dry roast the oats on a medium flame for a few minutes, then keep it aside.
2. Now take the pan and add jaggery and ghee.
3. Mix well, stir continuously
4. Add the roasted oats and walnut to the mixture, then mix it well
5. Take a plate grease it with ghee and pour the mixture over it.
6. Cut it into pieces and let it cool for some time.
7. Store it in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
* 50 gms dry ginger jaggery powder
* 50 gms Turmeric jaggery
* 3-4 tablespoon homemade desi ghee
Method:
1 Mix all ingredients except ghee in a bowl.
2. Add melted ghee slowly to the dry mix and make dough i.e. wet enough to bind together, make balls and serve.
Expert tip
Store the balls in air tight container. The balls will remain fresh on room temperature for ten days.
Ingredients :
* 175 gms peanuts
* 50 gms makhana
* 75 gms white sesame seeds (til)
* 350 gms coconut jaggery
Method :
1. Dry roast peanuts on medium heat till they get crunchy.
2. Once it gets cooled, transfer the peanuts to a flat plate then remove the skin by rubbing the peanuts between your palm.
3. In a mixer grinder, add makhana, peanuts, and sesame seeds and grind them to a mixture.
4. On the other hand, heat the pan, add jaggery, and wait till jaggery melts. Add the grounded mixture to the melted jaggery.
5. Grease a tray with ghee and pour the mixture and spread evenly. Cut it with the knife and let it cool.
Ingredients:
* 50 gms grated ginger jaggery
* Two cups water
* Three crushed green cardamom
* ½ tablespoon salt
Method:
1. Crush the cardamom in a mixer grinder.
2. Mix the crushed cardamom and add salt with two cups of water.
3. Add the grated jaggery and mix it well till it dissolves.
4. Strain before serving and serve it cold or at room temperature.
Ingredients:
* I cup mixed nuts (Cashew, pistachios and almonds)
* 100 gms coconut jaggery
* 1 tsp Ghee
* 1 tsp rose water
* ¼ cup Rose petals
* Parchment paper (optional for easy rolling)
Methods:
1. Roast the nuts on medium flame and keep stirring for 5 minutes.
2. Heat the ghee in a pan and add jaggery to it, cook it on medium flame. Heat it till the jaggery completely melts down and bubbling starts in it.
3. Take the jaggery off from the stove, add nuts and rose water to jaggery.
4. Mix all ingredients together and place on the parchment paper. Put another parchment paper on top and roll out about ¼ inch thick.
5. Remove the top layer of parchment and add rose petals and lightly rollover (with a rolling pin) to help the stick.
6. Cut into rectangle/ square shape with help of a pizza cutter.
7. Once it gets cool, serve it.
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Yashwani is best described as a voracious reader and ardent writer. She is a techie who enjoys both writing and coding. When she is not engrossed in either of these two, she enjoys exploring new places and trying new foods. ...Read More
