TILGUL (Kusurellu/ Sankranti Kalu in Kannada)

Happy Makar Sankranti to all of you.

Tried my hands on making these sugar coated Til gul (Kusurellu). Made this under the guidance of my dearest mother. Mummy used to make this almost every year at home for Haldi kumkum & we siblings used to enjoy helping her to make these tiny sweets. When mummy was at my house, thought of getting back the fond memories of making this again. After many years it was real fun to make these tiny sugar coated til again. Making this requires too much of hard work & patience. Do try to make this someday, the taste is just amazing, which you won't get even after paying money.

YouTube link:

https://youtube.com/shorts/V6WP6VrjlPw?si=trGMxsyjfmFxywXT

Ingredients:

· Sugar – 500 gms

· Water - 1.5 cups

· Milk – ½ cup

· Sesame seeds (til), Fennel seeds(saunf), pumpkin seeds, Magaz (melon seeds), crushed Ccoriander seeds, crushed Peanuts(ground nuts), crushed Cashewnuts (Take just a tablespoon of any seeds that you like)

Method:

· Take a thick bottomed utensil, add water and sugar in it. Bring it to a boil, when it starts boiling, turn off the heat and sieve it though a muslin cloth. This process will allow you to get rid of the dirt particles. Wash the cloth in running water.

· Again, boil the strained sugar water, once it boils, sieve again. Repeat this process 2-3 times till you get rid of the dirt particles.

· Heat the strained sugar water again, when it starts to boil, add the milk. Milk will start to curdle/break when you continue with the boiling process. Strain it using a muslin cloth.

· Again, heat the sugar water. In order to check whether the sugar syrup is ready or not, do the following.

· Put a drop on the kitchen platform or the gas stove. If the drop sits like a pearl and does not spread, that means the sugar syrup is ready to use.

· Sugar syrup has to cool completely (best to leave it overnight to cool).

· Next day early morning take the sesame seeds in one plate which is thick and preferably add the other ingredients in other thick plate

· Turn on the gas stove, keep it on very low flame. Do not keep the plate on direct heat, you can keep the other stand that is on the gas, Keep the plate on that stand and turn on the flame. Add 2-3 drops of sugar syrup on the sesame seeds or any other seeds that you have taken and start mixing it by fingers. This should be done very gently. See to it that the sugar spikes are not breaking.

· Remember if the plate turns to be hot, remove it from the flame, but continue the process of mixing it with hands. You can add 2-3 drops of sugar syrup again.

· Again, you can keep the plate on the flame and continue the process of adding the sugar droplets and mixing it with hands. If you find that, the plate has turned to be too rough, wash it or else take a new plate.

· This is a lengthy process, which will not happen in adays time. Each day only a few coatings will be seen.

· It may take 6-7 days to get a perfect tilgul.

· You can add the desired colour to the sugar syrup and do the same process to get the coloured ones.

· Hard work and Patience is the word that can be associated in making these beautiful looking tilguls. Do not add more than 2-3 drops of sugar syrup, you may be tempted at times to add more sugar syrup, but if you do so you will not get the desired spikes which we are looking for.

· Remember not to use a spoon or fork to mix, use your fingers to do the process.