As the sesame seeds were roasting, their delicate aroma hovered over the pan and soon filled up my entire kitchen. Simultaneously, golden brown sugar syrup was bubbling away in a saucepan, adding a subtle sweet fragrance around me that reminded me of my childhood days when mom made Til Gul especially for Sankrant.
The very first Indian festival of the year is here and for the very first time, I made the quintessential sweet for the festivities, Til Gul, at home. After all these years, I was almost craving to bite into one of those soft, nutty candies and I decided to make some right away! I pulled out my handbook of Marathi cuisine, “Ruchira” (see Evolving Tastes for the details and an extensive review of the book) and looked at the traditional recipe. Having all the ingredients on hand, I jumped right at it by roasting the sesame seeds and caramelizing the sugar. The simple combination of the sesame seeds with melted sugar is incredible on it’s own, but becomes even more amazing when mixed with ground cardamom and crushed roasted peanuts. This, to me, is the true essence of Sankrant!
