Makar Sankranti: Sweet treats from Old Delhi

Chocolate gajjak, til mungfali malai gajjak, khajur dry fruit bars among others are this season’s hot favourites this Makar Sakranti. These sweet delights from Purani Dilli are seeing foodies flock to savour the sweetness and experience the much-needed winter warmth!

You don’t need to have a sweet tooth to relish the goodness of gajjaks, chikkis and ladoos that bring the much-needed warmth to our lives. The transition of the sun leads to festivals that are celebrated across India as Uttarayan, Makar Sankranti, Magh Bihu, and Pongal to name a few. And the festivities here are incomplete without the goodness of gur, til and other winter specific foods.

Shopkeepers of Old Delhi share how foodies demand new varieties of gajjaks and laddoos alongside the old favourites. (Photos: Gokul VS/HT)

These winter delights are available in all their deliciousness at some of the popular shops in Old Delhi. From chikkis and pattis to ladoos and gajjaks, there’s a huge variety that Delhiites throng to savour. Along with some new entrants such as chocolate gajjak, there’s a whole range of old favourites such as Kaju chikki, Khajur dry fruit chikki, rewari khasta, peanut chikki and many more.

Winter favourites such as chikkis and laddoos are available in a huge variety.

At the shop with the long name Meerut Wale Surendra Kumar Sanjay Kumar Jain in Chandni Chowk, there are three new and “exclusive items added” as informs Rishabh Jain, whose father Sandeep Jain owns the place. “This year we have introduced Chocolate gajjak at ₹800 per kg. It’s is a fusion of gajjak with chocolate. There’s also Kaju chikki made from jaggery and kaju at ₹1,000 and Khajur dry fruit bar made using jaggery. The natural sweet taste of dates along with almonds, cashews and pista makes this last one a special treat, and it costs ₹1,000. We also have all time famous items like Kaju gajjak, which is also known as Najuk since it’s quite soft, Gur gatta or gur candy, and Malai gajjak, which is the maximum sold item at our shop.”

Alongside the usual gajjaks and rewaris at Asli Meerut Wale Subedar & Sons in Kinari Bazar, what is luring many buyers is Khajur ki gur, Gond ke laddoo, and Til bhugga. Rahul Gupta, from the shop, shares, “This time Khajur ki barfi, Chikki and Gur-gond ke laddoo are in huge demand. Around Sankranti, the rush is huge, and people do want new varieties so keeping that in mind we bring variations.”

One wonders what makes many foodies make the efforts of crossing the narrow and ever-crowded bylanes of Old Delhi, to buy their winter delights from these specific shops. “I had come here for wedding shopping, but on my way home I took a small detour to buy Kaju gajjak since this one is a favourite in my house. It is available at many shops across Delhi, but Purani Dilli ke taste ki baat hi kuchh aur hai, can’t be missed,” shares Meha Goyal, a shopper scouting for sweet delicacies.

Old favourites like gajjaks and laddoos can be tried alongside Khoya malai gajjak and Khajur dry fruit bars.

Such is the love for taste that even the fans of savouries come here to shop for sweets. Take for instance, Anuprakash Srivastava, a resident of Kinari Bazar, who often visits the shop, Dhan Prakash Sachin Kumar near Ballimaran, to buy diet namkeen. “I usually buy namkeens from here since this is one of the oldest shops, and I love the namkeens they make. But with the festival coming up and the huge spread of gajjaks and ladoos right in the front, I just couldn’t control myself from indulging a little in the sweets too,” shares Srivastava. “We are sure famous for namkeens since 1963,” informs Dhan Prakash Gupta, the owner, adding that people are preferring to opt for sweets “jinmeing til zyada rehti hai.” So be it Khoya rolls, Khoya roll chini, Gond wale ladoo (all approx ₹320/kg), everything is in demand. Alongside these, the two varieties of laddoos — Mawa laddoo and Gond ladoo (both ₹320/kg), Malai gajjak ( ₹280/kg), Til mungfali malai gajak ( ₹280/kg) are some of the preferred items among the loyalists here. And once here, you just can’t miss trying their Gurh ki gajjak and Mungfali chikki. Salivating now? Happy Makar Sankranti!

Author tweets @tanmayadas7133

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