I have lost count of the Lohri parties that I have attended in my life but the one that is most memorable is the one we had right after our wedding. In Punjabi households, all the festivals that the newlyweds celebrate together for the first time as a couple are special and these celebrations are a huge affair. Exactly a month after our December wedding we had Lohri. The house reverberated with laughter and chatter of family and friends. A huge bonfire was lit and heaps of Til (Sesame), Gajak, Gur (Jaggery), Moongphali (Peanuts) and Phuliya (Popcorn) were picked up to be thrown into the crackling fire as everyone took the parikrama.The dholwalas dressed up in their vibrant kurtas, lungis and juttis, beat their dhols fervently while the guests danced the bhangra. Deeper into the night, the elderly ladies warmed their hands on the simmering fire and sang traditional Lohri songs. Others wrapped their shawls tighter and chomped on til ke ladoos, gajak, chikki and revaris.
Lohri falls on the 13th of January usually. It commemorates the arrival of longer days after the winter solstice. It’s also time to harvest the winter crops and it becomes customary to eat winter foods on this day. For this reason, Makki ki roti and sarson ka saag become an essential part of the menu this day. Besides these, til and gur form the main ingredients of all things sweet. For some, Lohri actually comes from the word ‘Tilohri’ i.e. ‘til’(sesame) and ‘rorhi’ (gur) and form the main ingredient in many dishes and sweets.
There are versions to the origin of Lohri. Is it linked to the folklore of Dulla Bhatti, a Punjabi hero during the reign of Emperor Akbar or is it a celebrated as a reverence to the Sun God? The derivation of the name ‘Lohri” has different stories too. Some say Lohri came from Loi, the wife of Sant Kabir while others believe that ‘loh’, the thick iron tawa used for baking chapattis for community feasts is how the festival got its name.
In the Tasting India Symposium 2017 in Delhi, the world-renowned food writer Madhur Jaffrey CBE, has said that the mantle of preserving our food lies on each one of us and we should be proud of its heritage. There cannot be many more occasions other than this where a diversified country like India unites over food on a single day. Whether it is celebrated as Pongal in the South, Bhugali Bihu in Assam or Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh the whole country shares the festive spirit today. Have you noticed that of late, festivals such as Rakhi have become modern in terms of chocolates replacing sweets? It somehow misses the grandeur of the traditional Rakhi of yesteryears. Today, we have stopped singing and sharing the folklore of Lohri too. The manner in which it is celebrated will gradually change or disappear with time. Perhaps its time to start taking care of the traditional folklore and the rituals around our celebrations as well.
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- 500 gms Makki ka Atta Maize Flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ghee for frying
- Warm water for kneading
- 1 bunch mustard leaves
- 1/2 bunch Bathua leaves
- 1/2 bunch spinach leaves
- 1 cup fenugreek leaves
- 3 onion chopped Keep one aside for tempering
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 inch chopped ginger
- 8 cloves chopped garlic
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (Hing)
- 2 tbsp Makki ka Atta Maize flour
- 3 cups Water
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
- 2 Green chillies
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tbsp ghee/ white butter
Ingredients
Makke Ki Roti
Sarson ka Saag
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- Mix the flour with salt together. Use warm water to bind into medium-soft dough.
- Pat each ball between dampened palms to make a roti of medium thickness. Alternatively, roll out each ball using a rolling bin.
- Heat a tawa and place a roti on it. On moderate heat, cook till one side is half-done. Turn over, spread some white butter over the surface. Flip again. repeat process till golden brown on both sides.
- Serve with a dollop of white butter.
- For the Sarson ka saag, clean and chop the mustard leaves, spinach, fenugreek and bathua leaves.
- Add these greens with two chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic,green chillies salt and water and pressure cook for about 10minutes.
- Once cooled, blend with maize flour in a mixer blender. Put back on heat for about 30 mins till cooked.
- For the tempering, fry the remaining onions in ghee till golden brown. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and hing.
- Add the saag to this tempering. Add ghee or white butter on top before serving with hot Makki ki roti.
