Chocolate Walnut Chikki Candy is my twist to the traditional til sesame chikki candy! Sesame, Peanut, Cashews, Almond, mixed dry fruits are some of the flavours of the chikki, a traditional sweet made in India, on account of the auspicious festival of Makar Sankranti.
Makar Sankranti, the only festival celebrated in India on the basis of Sun Movement, and hence comes primarily on the fixed day of January 14. It identifies the movement of Sun into the zodiac of Capricorn(Makar Rashi) and the movement towards spring, and end of winter in India. Sankranti means Movement or transition. This solar based festival is celebrated all over India in different ways, such as lighting a bon fire, singing songs, having a bath in a holy river and kite flying as well as well as donating and making sweets primarily based out of Jaggery or Milk.
In Gujarat this festival is known as Uttar-Ayan (Uttar-North and Ayan- Movement)- So movement of the Sun towards the North. Kite flying is mainly done in Gujarat, India, where it is celebrated with huge fanfare. One wonders how the kite flying activity came into being as part of celebration of transition of Sun northwards. As per one web report, flying of kite indicates movement, and it also represents the waking up of Gods (who are supposed to be sleeping or at rest) till the period of Uttarayan. The period of Dec 14- Jan 14 is considered inauspicious, and so everything is at a kind of rest, and from Jan 14, all auspicious activities are undertaken, as the movement to the north, and towards spring, brings in luck and prosperity.
This new flavor made my teenage daughter appreciate an Indian sweet, as the overall taste is not too sweet and plus it is easier as a parent to stuff some brain food without much protest! The texture is slightly more chewy as compared to traditional chikkis and you savour the chocolate taste in the end, giving you an after flavour of western dessert! The walnuts do not dominate the taste, so it is just the right mix of jaggery, walnuts and chocolate.
Whether you go for Chocolate Walnut Chikki Candy or Sesame Jaggery Candy (my earlier blog entry at cookingbyinstinct.com/sesame-chikki-sesame-candy-jaggery). You will definitely say “Kaipo Chhe “with both the flavours or even better, using the jaggery measurements, use any combination of nuts, even hazelnuts for the very adventurous and literally fly high and create a flavor of your own!!
Wishing everyone Happy Sankranti, Pongal, Uttarayan and year of good luck, prosperity and fancy food items as Chocolate Walnut Chikki Candy in Kite form!! Chikki in kite form is the closest I can come to flying kites in the sub zero temperature in USA currently!
Recipe Makes 10 pieces of chikki candy
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tsp clarified butter(ghee)
- 3/4 cup filled with jaggery pieces
- A little less than 3/4 cup of broken walnuts
- 1 tsp Hersheys chocolate syrup
Method
- In a shallow pan, put the ghee to melt.
- Add the jaggery, once the ghee melts, and slowly stir the jaggery over a medium flame.
- In 4-5 min, when the jaggery melts, add chocolate syrup.
- Reduce the flame and quickly add walnuts to it
- Mix everything into a lump quickly
- Spread out the lump using the back of cup or bowl into a rectangular form.
- Using a roller pin, roll down the base to the desired thinness about 1/4- 1/2 inch thickness.
- After 2 minutes of cooling, make cuts into the desired shape or traditional shapes.
- After it cools completely, store in an airtight container.
Tips
If the chikki candy feels sticky at the initial taste, that means the mixture needs to be cooked a bit more.
Make initial cuts with a knife, then use a thin spatula to separate and lift the chikki candies.
Instinct Factor
Time is of critical importance and so is the speed in rolling the warm lump mixed with nuts.
Feel Factor
Chocolate Walnut Chikki candy is a new flavor to the traditional chikki that satisfies the craving for a chikki as well as chocolate in one! Walnuts taste equally good in this flavour and it does not have a salty feel to the candy, due to the chocolate flavour in it. It holds the shape well and is slightly thicker than Sesame chikki due to the bigger size of the nuts as compared to Sesame . Walnut Candy in the form of Chocolate Walnut Chikki Candy may just get your kids to appreciate this jaggery based brittle candies that are quintessentially a Makar Sankranti delicacy.
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