Bhugga – A Lohri Tradition

Lohri is a much celebrated North Indian folk festival usually falling on 13^th January every year. It is believed that the farmers celebrate Lohri in anticipation of a good harvest of wheat crop in  March–April. Lohri is more significant if there has been a wedding or birth of a new baby in the family. This is also the first Hindu festival, especially in Punjab and Haryana, in a year.

What ever the reason may be, Lohri is one festival which is enjoyed by children & adults alike. To start the festivities, children go door to door in their neighborhood singing folk songs & demanding goodies like rewris, gajak, til (sesame seeds), peanuts etc. After sunset, the whole family gets involved in the setting up of bonfire without which this festival is in complete. The mood is set for further celebrations once the bonfire is lit. In some neighborhoods and communities, there is one huge bonfire for community celebrations.

 Amidst all this merry making, food has not taken a back seat. Like any other Indian festival, you can expect special snacks, sweets & other delicacies. One of the sweets which needs special mention is the Bhugga, which is a lohri specialty & my favorite too. Though many other sweets like Ganne ki Kheer (Sugarcane rice pudding), Atte ke laddoo ( Wheat flour balls) are served on Lohri, Bhugga is special because it is exclusively made around Lohri time. 

Makes:   12-16 balls

Level: Easy                                  

Preparation time: 10 minutes          

Cooking time:  15 minutes

Course:  Dessert

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese / khoya (any grocery store)
• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk ( low fat )
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds (baking section of any grocery store)
• 1/3 cup dry milk powder
• 2 tablespoons  unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon elaichi ( green cardamom) powder

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Directions

Mix all the ingredients except sesame seeds in a medium bowl.

Microwave it for 12 minutes, stirring it every two minutes. You know its cooked when you start getting a nice aroma & the sweet mix has turned  hard.

Now add sesame seeds to the cooked sweet mix and give a nice stir & let it cool for 10 minutes.

Make small balls  (any size you want ). I usually make 1-2 inches round balls which makes around 15 balls.

 

Cooking Suggestions

You can add dry fruit of your choice- almonds, pistachios, raisins. Or use them to garnish the Bhugga balls.

You can also cook ricotta cheese in a pan on low medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Nutrition

• Ricotta cheese is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Protein, Calcium and Selenium. But it is very high in Saturated Fat ( That’s why I use non fat versions).
• Sesame seeds are rich in B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and riboflavin.

For more detailed information on Lohri please check this link :

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohri