Til Gajak – Makar Sankranti Special,Tilkut
Til Gajak, Til ki barfi, or Tilkut, is an Indian sweet made from sesame seeds, also known as “til” in Hindi. The sesame seeds are roasted to bring out their nutty flavor, ground to a coarse powder, and then mixed with sugar or jaggery and ghee (clarified butter). The mixture is then formed into small bars or squares and garnished with nuts.
Til barfi is a winter dessert enjoyed during the winter months. Eating Til or sesame seeds during winter is beneficial as they help to keep you warm, enhance your immunity, and provide essential energy.
Til Gajak is a famous sweet enjoyed during festivals such as Makar Sankranti, called in western parts, Pongal in the south, Lohri in North India, and Gujarat, called Uttarayan. Altogether it is the same festival but with different names.
This year enjoy the festival by making some traditional Til Gajak, or Til barfi or Tilkut at home with the instructions, step-by-step photos, and recipe video.
This Til ki Gajak is a super easy recipe; you need four main ingredients to make this mouth-watering til gajak. You can trust me on this – the Til Gajak is incredibly delicious and irresistible. I’m confident that both kids and adults will love it!
Usually, the Til Gajak is made with til, sugar, or jaggery and ghee, but to make this Til Gajak (barfi) more flavorful and heavenly, we have added cashew nuts powder and milk powder. We have used sugar in this recipe. However; you can use jaggery powder, but this Til Gajak (barfi) tastes delightful with sugar.
Table of Contents
Recipe Video
Recipe Card
Til Gajak – Makar Sankranti Special,Tilkut(Updated)
Ingredients
- 2 cups or 200 grams Sesame Seeds
- ½ cup or 60 grams Cashew Nuts
- ½ cup Milk Powder
- 1½ cup or 240 grams Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- ¼ tsp Cardamom powder
- 3 tbsp Almonds and Pistachios sliced
- 3 tbsp Ghee
Instructions
- Add 2 cups or 200 grams of sesame seeds to a pan and roast on a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Retain 2 tbsp of seeds for later use.
- Transfer the sesame seeds into a grinding jar and grind coarsely at a pulse mode.
- Transfer the ground mixture into a bowl. Keep it aside.
- Add ½ cup or 60 grams of cashew nuts in a grinding jar and grind it coarsely at a pulse mode.
- Transfer the ground cashew powder to a mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of milk powder, 3 tbsp of almonds and pistachios (sliced), ¼ tsp of cardamom powder, and 2 tbsp of roasted sesame seeds kept aside previously. Keep this mixture aside.
- Add 1½ tbsp of pure ghee and the ground sesame powder in a pan.
- Roast for 1 to 2 minutes on a low flame.
- Turn the gas flame off. Add the prepared mixture, roast for a minute, and keep it aside. Tip* – The milk powder sometimes tends to burn from the bottom of the pan due to heat; ensure the gas flame is off at this stage.
- Add 240 grams or 1½ cups sugar and 1 cup water in another pan. Stir and cook till the sugar dissolves.
- Cook the sugar syrup to half-string of consistency on a medium flame.
- Half-string of consistency sugar syrup is ready.
- The gas flame should be off. Keep stirring and gradually add the sugar syrup into the roasted mixture kept aside.
- Turn the gas flame ON. Keep stirring and cook till the mixture thickens slightly.
- Add 1 tbsp of pure ghee and cook on a medium to low flame till the mixture leaves the pan's sides.
- The mixture has left the sides of the pan and combined well. You can form a ball; barfi is ready. Add ½ tbsp of pure ghee and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased tray. Spread the mixture evenly.
- Garnish it with sliced almonds and pistachios.
- After 10 minutes, when the barfi is slightly hot, give cuts, and let the barfi cool for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, the barfi is ready to serve.
- Enjoy the barfi with any meal or any time of the day.
How to Make Til Gajak at Home Step-by-Step Photos
- Add 2 cups or 200 grams of sesame seeds to a pan and roast on a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Retain 2 tbsp of seeds for later use.
- Transfer the sesame seeds into a grinding jar and grind coarsely at a pulse mode.
- Transfer the ground mixture into a bowl. Keep it aside.
- Add ½ cup or 60 grams of cashew nuts in a grinding jar and grind it coarsely at a pulse mode.
- Transfer the ground cashew powder to a mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of milk powder, 3 tbsp of almonds and pistachios (sliced), ¼ tsp of cardamom powder, and 2 tbsp of roasted sesame seeds kept aside previously. Keep this mixture aside.
- Add 1½ tbsp of pure ghee and the ground sesame powder in a pan.
- Roast for 1 to 2 minutes on a low flame.
- Turn the gas flame off. Add the prepared mixture, roast for a minute, and keep it aside. Tip* – The milk powder sometimes tends to burn from the bottom of the pan due to heat; ensure the gas flame is off at this stage.
- Add 240 grams or 1½ cups sugar and 1 cup water in another pan. Stir and cook till the sugar dissolves.
- Cook the sugar syrup to half-string of consistency on a medium flame.
- Half-string of consistency sugar syrup is ready.
- The gas flame should be off. Keep stirring and gradually add the sugar syrup into the roasted mixture kept aside.
- Turn the gas flame ON. Keep stirring and cook till the mixture thickens slightly.
- Add 1 tbsp of pure ghee and cook on a medium to low flame till the mixture leaves the pan’s sides.
- The mixture has left the sides of the pan and combined well. You can form a ball; barfi is ready. Add ½ tbsp of pure ghee and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased tray. Spread the mixture evenly.
- Garnish it with sliced almonds and pistachios.
- After 10 minutes, when the barfi is slightly hot, give cuts and let the barfi cool for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, the barfi is ready to serve.
- Enjoy the barfi with any meal or any time of the day.
FAQs
What is Til Gajak?
Til Gajak, Til ki barfi, or Tilkut, is an Indian sweet made from sesame seeds, also known as “til” in Hindi. The sesame seeds are roasted to bring out their nutty flavor, ground to a coarse powder, and then mixed with sugar or jaggery and ghee (clarified butter). The mixture is then formed into small bars or squares and garnished with nuts.
When should you eat Til Gajak or Til Barfi?
What is Gajak? How is Gajak made?
Gajak is an Indian sweet made from sesame seeds, also known as “til” in Hindi. The sesame seeds are roasted to bring out their nutty flavor, ground to a coarse powder, and then mixed with sugar or jaggery and ghee (clarified butter). The mixture is then formed into small bars or squares and garnished with nuts.
Conclusion
In this Til Gajak recipe, we have shared how to make til gajak at home with only four ingredients. This tik gajak, a Makar Sankranti special, til barfi, also called Tilkut, is made in India in every house with different variations. In this recipe, to make this Til Gajak (barfi) more flavorful and heavenly, we have added cashew nut powder and milk powder. We have used sugar in this recipe. However; you can use jaggery powder, but this Til Gajak (barfi) tastes delightful with sugar. If you like this recipe, please comment and rank us for this recipe. Your suggestion and comments are always welcome and are like a treasure to improve every time.