Makar Sankranti, also celebrated at Pongal in South India, might have different traditions and dishes that you will be prepping with your family and friends, the one common reason behind both the festivals is welcoming the harvest season. This beautiful festival with vibrant kites furling in the sky to colorful rangolis and delightful, crunchy dishes plated and prepped with fervor also marks the receding of the chilly winter season in the North. 

One of our favorite food recipes that we love to try every year is the til ladoo recipe. And we tried making this with a healthier twist by adding honey in 2024 - the super seed sesame honey barfi (because laying down and cutting barfi is easier than rolling laddoos). You can try making ladoos too or eat this heavenly aromatic mix as granola or in your smoothie bowl, all year round. It's super quick, no fuss and involves readily available ingredients. 

But before we tell you the recipe, let’s find out more about the star ingredient of every makar sankranti recipe - sesame seeds or til. 

The Significance of sesame seeds 

As per legends in hindu scriptures, til is regarded as the purest kind of food blessed by the gods and a part of Lord Vishnu’s body. Til is also connected to the sun god - Surya Dev, making it a prominent part of celebrations in North Indian households. All energy and life is believed to originate from the Sun God and hence til is revered as a source of solar energy. Thus, eating these pure seeds on Makar Sankranti is akin to paying respect to Lord Surya. 

While til is deeply rooted in mythology and used in the festival for a plethora of reasons, it is also a healthy seed that you can include in your diet. As per National Institutes of Health, sesame seeds are an excellent source of healthy fats, protein, B vitamins, minerals, fibers and antioxidants. Having sesame seeds regularly in your diet helps in aiding blood sugar control and lowering cholesterol. 

And with the addition of a natural sweetener like honey along with nuts and seeds of your choice, you get an excellent 11 AM or 4 PM snack that curbs hunger quicker than placing order for a burger. Without further ado, let’s get down to the recipe. 

Our Recipe for Super Seed Healthy Sesame Honey Barfi 

The ingredients we have used for the barfi are white sesame, almonds, cashews, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. For aroma, we have added grounded cardamom, you can add cinnamon powder too. And for sweetener, we used our pure acacia honey. 

The Process: 

1. In a flat-bottomed, non-stick saucepan, pour 1 tbsp of ghee. Once the ghee has warmed enough, add 250 grams of white sesame seeds. Roast it gently till it turns golden brown. 
2. Keep stirring and gently add almonds, cashews and fold these in with the seeds. At this stage, you can add other nuts like walnut, peanuts and even raisins to customise this snack as per your preference. 
3. Once everything has come together, add pumpkin and flax seeds. Keep folding these in and stirring till you hear the flax seeds pop and a heavenly aroma emanates from this mixture. Again, chia, basil, sunflower and other seeds can be added as well as per your preference. 
4. Now, before we head to the step of adding the sweetener, add a teaspoon of grounded cardamom and cinnamon to enhance the taste. 
5. Once mixed well, take it off the induction/stove and cool it down. Once it cools down, you can add acacia honey. 
6. Line a tray with either butter paper or grease it with ghee and spread this mixture evenly. 
7. Freeze it overnight and cut into small squares for your healthy makar sankranti recipe. 

To know more about the benefits of honey used in this recipe, you can explore our learn section. Subscribe to our newsletter for more such healthy honey food recipes and buy the best honey in India right here.