Crispy and crunchy Til Chikki or sesame crisps are made with roasted sesame seeds, sugar, laced with floral cardamom, and a hint of salt. In India, these irresistible crisps are specially made during the Sankrant Festival celebrated in January.
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Growing up, I remember celebrating the festival of Makar Sankrant by visiting family and friends and wishing them "Tilgul ghya goad bola" which literally means "Take tilgul and talk sweetly".
On the Sankrant evening, we dressed in our pretty traditional outfits and went around the neighborhood, collecting different varieties of sweet treats made with sesame seeds called tilgul.
My favorite amongst the sweet treats was the crispy and crunchy Til Chikki or as we call it in Marathi "Tilachi Chikki". Made with roasted sesame seeds, sugar, and a hint of cardamom and salt, these crisps make an irresistible and yummy winter snack.
Festival of Sankrant
In Maharashtra, Sankrant is celebrated for 3 days. On the first day which is ‘Bhogi’, we enjoyed the special dish 'bhogichi bhaji' that celebrates the seasonal bounty of winter vegetables along with coconut, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Sesame seeds have a big significance for this festival. Sesame seeds provide the much-needed energy and nourishment to keep the body warm during winter.
Ingredients for Til Chikki
- Sesame seeds - I like to use brown sesame seeds but you can also use the white ones
- Sugar - I use organic cane sugar but regular white sugar works too
- Ghee - homemade ghee is super easy to make and a must in many Indian desserts to add the nutty aroma
- Cardamom - ground cardamom powder adds a floral aroma to the chikki
My mom made many batches of this sesame chikki to share with everyone that visited our home on Makar Sankrant day. Although they seemed pretty simple, I have failed to make them a few times.
The memories of my mom making them easily are still so fresh in my mind that I could not give up on this recipe. Over the last few times, I have slowly but surely mastered the technique!
How to Make Til Chikki
Step 1: Roast the sesame seeds
Add the sesame seeds to a heavy bottom pan. Roast on medium heat for 5 mins until they are light brown and aromatic. Take out the sesame seeds in a bowl and keep them aside.
Step 2: Make the sugar syrup
In the same pan, add sugar and ghee. Stir in cardamom powder and salt. Cook on medium-low heat stirring frequently, until the sugar melts completely. Initially, the sugar will start to crystalize, keep mixing and breaking up the lumps as it then slowly starts to melt to form a syrup. Keep stirring all the time during the process. Takes about 6 to 8 minutes (photos 1 - 4).
Step 3: Add sesame seeds to the syrup
Once the syrup is ready, turn the heat to low and add the roasted sesame seeds and quickly mix them in. (photos 5 - 6).
Step 4: Spread and cut
Quickly and carefully pour the mixture on a parchment paper-lined surface. Spread it as thin as you can using a silicon spatula coated with a thin layer of ghee and patting it to form an even layer while it's hot. Do not wait too long as the mixture will start to harden, it is easier to spread the mixture into a thin layer while it's hot.
Tip - You can also use a well-greased rolling pin to roll it thin. Just make sure that you apply lots of ghee or oil to the rolling pin so the mixture does not stick to it. Once again this step has to be done rather quickly as you want to cut it into pieces while it's still warm.
Next, while the rolled mixture is still hot/warm, use a pizza cutter or knife to make diamond or square-shaped cuts to form the crisps. Allow them to cool and then lift them from the parchment and break them along the lines (photos 7 - 10).
Storing
Let them completely cool and then store them in an airtight container. This Chikki will stay good for 2 weeks at room temperature.
Tips
- Secure parchment paper on a cutting board using tape
- Apply lots of ghee on the rolling pin or silicon spatula and use it to spread the mixture
- Spread the mixture quickly into a thin layer while it's hot, do not wait too long as the mixture will start to harden
- Cut the crisps into small squares or diamonds while the mixture is still warm
More Sankrant Recipes
Love these festival delicacies? Try this delicious mixed vegetable curry AKA Bhogichi Bhaji with Homemade whole wheat parathas and Tilachi Poli. Also, make sure to make a batch of the easy Til Laddo and Tilachi Vadi made with sesame seeds and jaggery.
Recipe
Til Chikki {Sesame Crisps}
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sesame seeds
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ghee or oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Add the sesame seeds to a heavy bottom pan. Roast on medium heat for 5 mins until they are light brown and aromatic. Take out the sesame seeds in a bowl and keep them aside.
- In the same pan, add sugar and ghee. Stir in cardamom powder and salt. Cook on medium-low heat stirring frequently, until the sugar melts completely. Initially, the sugar will start to crystalize, keep mixing and breaking up the lumps as it then slowly start to melt to form syrup. Keep stirring all the time during the process. Takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Once the syrup is ready, turn the heat to low and add the roasted sesame seeds and quickly mix them in.
- Quickly and carefully pour the mixture on a parchment paper-lined surface. Spread it as thin as you can using a clean silicon spatula and by patting it to form an even layer while it's hot. Do not wait too long as the mixture will start to harden, it is easier to spread the mixture into a thin layer while it’s hot.Tip – You can also use a rolling pin to roll it thin. Just make sure that you apply lots of ghee or oil to the rolling pin so the mixture does not stick to it. Once again this step has to be done rather quickly as you want to cut it into pieces while it’s still warm.
- Next, while the rolled mixture is still hot/warm, using a pizza cutter or knife make amond or square shaped cuts to form the crisps. Allow them to cool and then lift them from the parchment and break along the lines.
- Let them completely cool and then store in an airtight container
Video
Notes
- Secure parchment paper on a cutting board using tape
- Apply lots of ghee or on the rolling pin or silicon spatula and use to spread the mixture
- Spread the mixture quickly into a thin layer while it's hot, do not wait too long as the mixture will start to harden
- Cut the crisps into small squares or diamonds while the mixture is still warm
Nutrition
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Ritu says
Hi Archana, I just tried this recipe and mine turn out to be a little bitter. Do you think I overcooked the syrup? Thanks
Archana says
Taste your peanuts and sesame. May be they were old?
Ruby says
Hi! You say when the syrup is ready you add sesame seeds. How do you know it is ready? what are we looking for here?
Thanks
Ruby
Archana Mundhe says
Hi Ruby, Basically we are making sure that the sugar has melted fully.