Ellu Bella: Sankranti special

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Ellu Bella: Sankranti special


Ingredients:

Polished sesame seeds – 250 gm
Split fried gram – 200 gm
Split roasted peanuts – 250 gm
Copra/ Dry coconut – 1
Golden Jaggery cubes – 2
Jeera peppermint – 50gm
Sakariya big - 150gm



Instructions:

       Take copra and remove the dark skin either by scraping or grating. You may use as-is with the skin but i prefer to remove the skin. Once done, start working from the edges to cut out thin slices using a knife. Cut these slices into more tiny bits of coconut pieces.

        Take cubed jaggery and scrape out any dirt or dust. Cut it into smaller pieces. Lot of jaggery will be crushed to powder while cutting if you apply too much force. Be careful and apply less force. This way, you would get more cut jaggery pieces than the crushed powder. Separate the powder and the pieces. You may use the powdered jaggery to make any other desserts.

        In a pan add polished til/sesame seeds and saute under low flame. Keep stirring. After a while, you would notice that the sesame seeds are puffing up and their color is slightly changing to brown. Dish out and spread on a clean plate or newspaper for cooling.

        In a deep frying pan, add the peanuts and roast them on medium flame until they slightly change the color to brown. Keep stirring. Continue to check on them frequently to prevent burning. Once the skin of the peanuts peel off easily, color changed to slight brown and there is no raw taste, it means that they are roasted well. Switch OFF the flame and spread them on a newspaper for cooling. After a minute or 2, press them slightly using your palm or fingers. The skin peels off easily. If you allow the peanuts to cool for longer, the skin doesn’t peel off easily. Be aware! You may also using a rolling pin for peeling the skin and splitting the peanuts. Gently roll the pin over the roasted peanuts. The skin peels off easily and the peanuts would split into 2. We need split roasted peanuts to make Ellu Bella. That is the reason why we are using rolling pin here. It makes our lives much easier. Separate the skin and the split peanuts either by blowing or using a winnowing fan.

        Now that all the ingredients are ready, we are left with the last step - mixing them together. Take a large bowl, add the roased sesame seeds, jaggery pieces, dry coconut pieces, jeera peppermint, sakariya, fried gram, roasted peanuts and mix well. You may add additional peanuts, fried gram and sakariya if required. That’s it. Ready to eat fresh Ellu Bella is made within minutes!

        You may also dry them under hot sun for 2 to 3 hours for more crispier texture before packing.

        Now, take a zip locker and pour some of the mixed Ellu Bella, sugar mold and seal it. Follow the same process to pack all the Ellu Bella into zip lockers. If you do not have a zip locker, don’t worry. Take a small cover and add the Ellu Bella. Hold the 2 tips of the packet and make a small fold. Light a candle or lamp and keep this folded plastic near the fire. Gently pass by so that the plastic is slightly burnt. Now, press on it quickly so that it seals. Tada! Quick work around :).

       On the day of Makara Sankranti, ladies and young girls are well dressed. They would be fully excited to go to their neighbours house to share this Ellu Bella. This helps them to know their neigbours better and also celebrate festivals by sharing joy with others in a society-inclusive approach. There is also a saying “Ellu Bella tindu Olle Matadi” in Kannada. Meaning, eat sesame seeds mixed with jaggery and speak good words.


What means “Ellu Beerodu” or How to serve Ellu Bella?

       In a clean decorative plate, arrange all the packets of Ellu Bella. Carry a bunch of betel leaves, arecanut, banana and sugar cane pieces while you are visiting the neighbours. Before serving, take a piece of sugarcane, 3 betel leaves, 2 arecanuts or a sachet, 1 packet of Ellu Bella, 1 banana and a small gift (optional) and place them on a plate. Serve it to the elderly. It’s that simple.

       In return, they would also serve you back the similar stuff that they have prepared. If you haven’t packed the sugar molds along with Ellu Bella, you may place it separately just like the banana and serve.

      Try it out and let me know your experiences. I am sure kids would definitely “LOVE” all the FUN going around and cherish these memories for years to come. Enjoy!

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