Banana - Walnut Muffins ~ No Egg, No Butter / Oil Recipe

As usual a couple of bananas were sitting on my kitchen table untouched until they went overripe. I knew if they were served in the form of muffins or a bread they would be gone in no time though my kids are not keen on eating the fruit itself. I have a few tried and tested recipes that I keep recycling when it comes to muffins but this time decided to try a new version and ended up landing here. I however tweaked the recipe to make them healthier and changed into an eggless and oil / butter free version and also added walnuts. I made a smaller portion and replaced half of the all purpose flour with wheat flour. The muffins were moist and good and it was hard to tell that there was no extra fat added to them. The color of the muffins were lighter when done. I turned off the oven and forgot to remove the muffins until a little later and they turned darker in shade though there was not a significant change in the texture of the muffins.

Servings: 8
Ingredients:
6 tbsp. whole wheat flour
6 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
5 to 6 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup mashed banana (I used very ripe 1 & 1/2 bananas.)
2.5 tbsp. apple sauce
2 tbsp. yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts (Optional)

Method:
* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
* Grease a muffin tray or use the paper liners.
* Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt and keep it aside.
* Combine mashed banana, apple sauce, sugar, yogurt and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Fold in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Finally add the walnuts if using and stir once.
* Spoon the mixture into muffin cups, filling up to 2/3rds.
* Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. I baked for 28 minutes.
(Mini muffins need to be baked for about 10 - 15 minutes.)

Update:
Here is the crumb of the muffin though this was from another batch I baked later.

These muffins are going to be a part of
1. Blogging Marathon #52.
2. Srivalli's 'Kids' Delight' event hosted by Sandhya this month with the theme "Snacking all the Way".

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Yeast Breads ~ No Knead Banana Bread

Event: Blogging marathon #40
Theme: Yeast based breads

We rarely run out of bananas as my husband keeps bringing them during each and every grocery trip. It is a fruit neither appreciated nor shunned at my home and somehow there are always a couple of bananas at the end, left hanging onto the stand. When the left overs are on their way to get overly ripened and attract fruit flies, I have to shrug off my lethargy and go search for recipes. Those kind of recipes where the final dish is appreciated by the majority of the family without an inkling about what went into it. In other words, baking does the trick most of the times. This time I was left with some more even after I had made muffins. And besides that, at the last minute the bulb went on that I had selected yeast breads as my theme for this week's marathon. I therefore went hunting for yeast based banana bread recipes so that I can kill two birds with one stone.
  
I ended up here during my quest and used the cardamom flavored rolls' recipe to bake a loaf. If you are looking for a bread with subtle banana flavor and a hint of sweetness, then this is the recipe you may like. It is not that sweet, quick bread kind where you dig into crunchy bits of walnuts with the goodness of banana flavor oozing from it. It is out and out a plain kind bread with perfect texture and goes well with a jam / jelly / Nutella spread. I would suggest to skip the cardamom if you are planning a loaf. Some how I didn't find the cardamom and the jam (or whatever spread you prefer) flavors jelling well. 
A very easy bread to put together manually and the fun part is you don't even need to knead. One would just need to combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and leave it to rise. It's that simple and quick - done under 5 minutes and cleanup is a cinch.

Ingredients: (1 loaf / 8 rolls)
1.5 tsp dry active yeast
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 buttermilk or 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 cup mashed bananas
3 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour 

Method:
* If using milk and vinegar in place of buttermilk, combine both and leave aside for about 3 -4 minutes.
* Combine everything except the flour in a big mixing bowl. 
* Then add the flour and just mix well to combine. The resulting dough would be on a sticky side. 

* Cover and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until it doubles and collapses.

* Grease a loaf pan and transfer the dough to it. Cover the pan with a wet towel and leave aside to rise again for about 45 to 60 minutes.
* This recipe was originally for rolls. If you are planning to make rolls, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes so that it would be easy to handle while rolling them. Divide the dough into 8 portions, dust the working surface and shape them into rolls. Arrange the rolls in a greased cake pan, cover and allow to rise again for about 45 minutes.
* Preheat the oven at 350 deg F or 180 deg C. Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes till done and golden brown. Remove, cool and slice the loaf.

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Koat Pitha / Banana Pitha

The northeast Indian state of Nagaland obviously is the land of Nagas. The Nagas were originally referred as Naka in the Burmese language, which means "People with pierced noses". The state is covered by lush mountains and has a largely monsoon climate. 

Besides the wiki link, I found some other interesting links here  and here related to food and culture of Nagaland. One interesting link here provided me an insight into the cuisine of Nagas. I could not help from reproducing that stuff below. 

"The primary occupation of the tribes was hunting and so meat became a chief component of the Naga cuisine. The meat enjoyed by them include beef, pork, fish, chicken, crabs, frog, snail, spider, insects, bee larvae, dog, cat, rat, birds, snake, spider, monkey, bear, and even elephant. Meat of dog and other wild animals are considered a delicacy. Pork meat is highly popular in this cuisine. Pork meat cooked with bamboo shoots is a popular dish of this cuisine. Smoked meat is prepared by keeping the meat above the fire or hanging on the wall of the kitchen for 2 weeks or longer, which could last for the whole year ahead. Apart from meat, bamboo shoots, lettuce, soya beans, mustard leaves, and yam leaves are also used in cooking. These ingredients are fermented and used to make various dishes. 
Each tribe has their unique dishes and the food between any two tribes is never the same. One important feature of the Naga cuisine is that the dishes are cooked by boiling the ingredients than frying. The meat is cooked using various methods - by smoking, drying or fermenting. Fermenting food is practiced in order to preserve the food. The food item is first boiled and then dried under the sun or near the fire. It is then wrapped in a banana leaf and stored for future use. 
The cuisine of Nagaland has largely remained free from influence of other cuisines. The dishes and the food have remained same over the ages, but the use of spice has been incorporated in the cooking to offer the dishes distinct taste and flavor. Chillies have an important place in naga cuisine and the nature of the food is hot and spicy. The ginger used in the Naga cuisine is spicy, aromatic and is different from the common ginger. Various local herbs and leaves are also used to spice up the dishes.
Nagas believe that certain meats have curative powers while some others are unclean and pass on their characteristics to human beings. They believe that dog meat cures pneumonia while a snake bite is cured by consuming a fluid of earthworms. Bee larvae, snails and frogs are believed to heal the skin and bones. Women are restricted from consuming monkey meat since they think that it turns them extravagant. Pregnant women are not allowed to consume bear meat since bears are not considered smart. Tigers/ leopards were not consumed as they believed that tiger was the brother of Man when the world was created."

Now let's move towards today's recipe. Koat pitha are deep fried sweet fritters prepared using rice flour and bananas. It is popular in several of the north-east Indian states including Nagaland. In fact, it is a popular dish prepared during the Assamese bihu festival. They are subtly sweet and can be put together real quick. The  recipes I found online were almost one and the same using a cup of rice flour and jaggery each and about 6 bananas. I tried a small portion since there are not many takers for sweet dishes at home. I also added some cardamom powder for flavor.

Ingredients: (yield 8 pithas)
1 big sized banana
6 tbsp rice flour 
1/4 cup powdered jaggery
Oil to fry

Method:
* Mash the bananas well in a bowl. Add the powdered jaggery to it and mix well. Take care that no jaggery lumps are present in the mixture.
* Gradually add rice flour to the mixture and make a dough.

* Heat oil in a saute pan and drop spoonfuls of batter into it.

* Fry on medium flame until golden brown, flipping in between.

* Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent towels.

Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate - Nut Covered Bananas

 

"Kids' Delight" is hosted by Pavani this month with the theme "5 Ingredient Fix". Obviously, one has to send her recipes suitable for kids, prepared using five or less ingredients. If interested, check her post for more details. Also second week of BM#28 starts from today and I have picked the above mentioned theme. 

Here is my first entry that involves three ingredients and very minimal work that yields a very impressive snack. I found this recipe sometime ago during one of my browsing sprees and right now am not able to figure out where. I had an idea and so went along. Anyway it was hard to mess up since there is nothing to mess up really. :) I have used semi sweet chocolate and salted peanuts here and so it doesn't taste that sweet at all. If you prefer the outer layer to be sweeter or preparing only for kids or planning to pass it on as a dessert, sweet baking chocolate can be used. Also salted cashew nuts can be another variation. I had refrigerated the pieces and we had them the next day. The bananas inside were fresh and they were good.

Ingredients: (6 pieces)
2 Bananas
4 oz semi sweet baking chocolate (or sweet baking chocolate if you prefer sweet pieces.)
4 - 6 Tbsp salted peanuts 
6 small sized ice cream sticks

Method:

* Crush the nuts you are using coarsely and keep aside.

* Melt the chocolate using a microwave / double boiler method.

* Peel the bananas and cut the edges. Cut each banana into three pieces.

* Insert the sticks through the center of each banana piece all the way through.

* Holding the stick, roll each banana piece in the melted chocolate so that they are well coated with chocolate and sprinkle with nuts.

* Refrigerate them until the chocolate coating hardens.

* Eat immediately or can be refrigerated for a couple of days.

Check out here to know what other participating marathoners are cooking.

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Banana - Gooseberry Milkshake

 

My son always has loved milkshakes and even now he likes to be surprised by a new variety each time he drinks one. I see no problem in it as I see shakes/smoothies as a healthy way to serve milk and fruit to kids instead of offering junk food as snacks. Sometimes during time crunches, they can be a quick, filling breakfast too. I like to whip up new ones just keeping him in mind and this goose berry one was made at the spur of the moment since I happened to notice the gooseberry preserves bottle in the refrigerator while I was grabbing the milk can. Recently my husband got a bottle from IKEA and instantly we fell in love with it. The small sized, sweet bananas (the elakki balehannu kind) I used lend creaminess and sweetness to the shake. 

Milkshakes are hardly recipes. Just by the title, you can guess what went into a milkshake. Nonetheless here is what you need for this shake. For one serving - blend a cup of cold milk, 2 small bananas and 2 Tbsp gooseberry preserves. And a rich, creamy, nutritious drink is ready to enjoy.

Check what other marathoners are cooking during this month long marathon.

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Quinoa - Dry Fruit Muffins ~ Moist, Yummy and Eggless

 

I honestly had no expectations when I decided to try these muffins and was also skeptical about the outcome in terms of texture of these muffins. I somehow had this preconceived notion that the quinoa muffins would be on the drier side. However since I am always gung ho over quinoa as my non enthusiastic husband points out, I wanted to try them out for a healthy snack option (as I don't eat sweet stuff for my breakfast) and also to figure out how quinoa works in baking recipes. 

I landed here while looking for baking recipes that used whole grains. The positive review the recipe got coerced me to try the recipe. I changed it into a vegetarian one and I must admit I was very much impressed about the texture and flavor of these muffins. Besides the muffins rose beautifully too. (I dropped about a heaped Tbsp batter into each muffin cup.) This recipe yields perfect textured, awesome tasting, moist muffins and it is a keeper. It gets five stars from me. Even the signature flavor of the quinoa was unnoticeable and so, if you are looking for ways to sneak in quinoa in your cooking, this is a good one to go.

Ingredients: (Yield 12 standard size muffins)

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup all purpose flour 

1 tsp salt 

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar 

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola oil.) 

1/4 to 1/2 cup dry fruits of your choice (I used finely chopped dates, raisins, dried cranberries, and walnuts.)

1 banana, mashed

Scant 1/2 cup milk 

1 tsp vanilla flavoring

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Grease a muffin tray and dust with flour, tapping the excess or use the paper liners.
2. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, dry fruits / nuts in a mixing bowl. Add quinoa and mix well.
3. In another bowl, whisk together oil, milk, mashed banana and vanilla. Add this to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. 
4. Divide batter among the muffin cups, filling them about only 2/3rd. Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Mine were done in 30 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. 
5. Serve them as breakfast or as a snack. Refrigerate the left over muffins.

Note:
1. I had cooked quinoa ready. I cooked 1/2 cup quinoa + 1 cup water in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. It can be cooked in a saucepan too. Bring the water to a rolling boil and add quinoa. 
Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until quinoa is tender and all the water has been absorbed. Don't make it watery.
2. If you prefer subtly sweet muffins, then reduce the brown sugar quantity to 1/4 cup in the above recipe.
3. Don't skip the dry fruits from this recipe. I would personally recommend dates and the dry fruits certainly enhance the taste of the muffins.


This is my Day 3 post under "Baking with Whole Grains" theme. Check here to know what other marathoners of BM#25 are cooking.
Also sending this to "Dish name starts with Q" event.

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Kodubale and Banana - Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

Srivalli chose Karnataka's famous savory kodbale/kodubale for November's Indian Cooking Challenge. Kodbale, nippattu and chakli are the savory trio that I enjoyed as a kid in my mother's kitchen and am still very fond of them. I couldn't therefore miss the opportunity to make  kodubales for this month's ICC. There are several variations to the basic version and Valli chose two - one from my blog and the second one from Lata Narasimhan's blog, that I followed obviously. :) 

 

Ingredients: (Makes 2 dozen)

1 cup rice flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour / maida

1/4 cup wheat flour / atta (or substitute with all purpose flour.)

1/4 cup roasted chickpeas / hurigadale / chutney dal

1/4 cup grated dry coconut (copra)

1 Tbsp ghee

Salt & chili powder to taste

1/4 tsp asafoetida / hing

Oil to fry

 

Method:

* Grind together roasted chickpeas and coconut, finely.

* Roast all purpose flour and wheat flour on low flame until it starts to change the color.

* Now combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl. Add water as needed to form a firm dough. (I used the same cup used to measure dry ingredients and added about 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp water.)

* Heat oil in a kadai.

* Mean while, pinch a small lime sized portion of the dough and roll into a ball. Knead into a log of about 1/4 inch thickness and about 6 inches long. Shape it into a coiled form. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough.

 

 

 

* Drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, then the oil is ready for frying. Gently drop the shaped dough coils into the oil and fry flipping in between, until golden brown. Drain them on absorbent towels and once cool, store them in an airtight container.

 

Note:

1. Frying on low medium flame is the key for crunchy kodbales. Hasty frying on high flame will brown the kodbales sooner but will not turn out crunchier. Also at a time, fry only as many kodbales as the frying pan fits. Meanwhile, cover the remaining coils that need to be fried.

2. No offense. They were slightly softer inside even after proper frying. I am just mentioning in case if anyone wants to try this. I think it may be because of the addition of the wheat flour. Usually all purpose flour yields crunchy results in most of the Indian traditional dishes. I wondered about it when I saw the ingredients' list but went ahead as I wanted to follow the recipe exactly. I would substitute it with all purpose flour next time if I give it a try.

 

EGGLESS BANANA - CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS:

 

I have baked these muffins probably zillions of times in my kitchen and I was surprised to notice last week that I haven't posted about them yet. And so here you go with my version of these muffins which seem to be the most mundane ones in the blogosphere. This fits the theme of Magic Mingle #12, "Fruit & Chocolate".
 
Ingredients: (Yields 6)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 - 6 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate morsels
2 bananas
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Method:
* Preheat oven to 375 deg F / 190 deg C.
* Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
* Mash bananas in another bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Stir in melted butter. Gently stir in the flour mixture and chocolate morsels.
* Grease or line the muffin pan with paper cups. Spoon the batter into cups so that it fills up to 3/4th of each cup.
* Bake until a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean or for about 30 - 35 minutes.


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Frozen Banana - Peanut Butter - Choco Milkshake

F for Frozen Banana - Peanut Butter - Choco Milkshake

I am still not able to believe that I am posting a milkshake recipe for blogging marathon. That too after contemplating for days about the exotic recipe choices I had that started with alphabet F. I can blame the weather around here for this simple post rather than admitting my procrastination. :) Today, it was as cloudy and gloomy as it can get and there was not even a single ray of sunshine to be seen. In fact, I had to wear my winter jacket when I stepped outside. By the time I returned home, my son who had his usual 7 am breakfast (yes, on weekend too) was scouring the kitchen for a quick snack. Before I fixed the lunch, I offered him a milkshake since it would be a quicker option and would keep him full for sometime. While taking out the frozen bananas, I realised that I could use it for today's BM post. I keep adding different ingredients each time I prepare banana milk shake and it was frozen banana - peanut butter - choco chip milk shake today.
The outside weather was not worth the efforts I had to put in creating a "f" dish today, only to end up with gloomy pictures and so went with this 1 minute, creamy and really yummy milkshake that works as a quick breakfast too. The kid enjoyed it so much that he ended up having a second serving. BTW, don't ask me why I would need a cool milk shake on a freezing day. I knew that the kid at home would not complain any way and wait for a scorching summer day to enjoy his cool beverages. After all, the weather in our parts of the world remains on the cooler side for a major portion of the year.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
2 frozen bananas
1 Tbsp peanut butter (I used smooth)
1 Tbsp chocolate chips
1 cup milk

Method:
Blend all the ingredients in a mixer and serve immediately.

Note:
1. I just peel and freeze banana chunks when they are over ripe and I see no signs of anyone at home consuming them. This way, bananas are not wasted and I don't need to add ice cubes to milkshakes. I like creamy ones than watery milkshakes and so I don't dilute them with ice cubes. 
2. Actually the choco chips were a last minute addition since they caught my attention lying on the kitchen counter top but they make the drink yummy. If you don't prefer tiny bits of chocolate in your shake then first powder the chocolate chips before blending the other ingredients.
3. This one is mainly for peanut butter lovers as it's flavor is more overpowering here.

Here is another favorite of ours - Banana-almonds-dates milkshake.



Check what other marathoners are cooking during BM#15..

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Eggless Banana - Walnut Bread

Doesn't it seem magical when overripe bananas fit to trash turn into a wonderful treat?

Today is the last day for my "Eggless / Vegan Baking" themed posts in BM#13 and I have saved my best for the last. I had a low calorie eggless banana bread recipe for years but still never cared to bake one until I saw Madhuram's recipe. I think the image she posted tempted me to try her recipe and honestly, our whole family instantly fell in love with this utterly delicious, eggless version of banana nut bread. It has somehow become a cherished recipe and I have baked this bread countless times in the past year. This is such a fool proof recipe that it had turned out perfect every time I have baked it and so I don't prefer to meddle with the recipe. Thanks to Madhu, friends and other family members who have tasted it always have showered me with praises and I am not going to search for another banana bread recipe in my life. I also assure you that you forget about calories and such trivial things once you taste this. :)
The original recipe is a vegan one and I have tried both vegan / non vegan versions.

Recipe Source: Eggless Cooking
Baking pan: The original recipe uses a 8x4 inch pan. I usually bake it in my 10x5 inch loaf pan.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour / maida
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice powder / cardamom powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (or substitute regular white sugar)
1/2 cup butter / margarine
3 medium sized bananas, mashed well
1/4 cup milk (non dairy milk for vegan version)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (Save some to sprinkle on top.)

Method:
1. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and keep aside.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and allspice / cardamom in another bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 175 deg C.
4. Cream together the sugar and butter in another bowl. Add milk - vinegar mixture, banana puree and vanilla to it and mix.
5. Stir in walnuts and the dry ingredients from step 2. Combine well.
6. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan. Sprinkle walnuts on top.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean or about 60 - 70 minutes.
8. Transfer the bread from pan after completely cooling. I usually bake it at night, leave it overnight and slice in the morning.

Linking this to
1. Srivalli's "Kid's Delight" event, guest hosted by Priya this month with the theme "Eggless / Vegan Bakes".
2. Anjali's "Cakes, Cookies & Desserts" event.

Check here to find out what the other marathoners participating in this BM are cooking.

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Eggless & Whole Wheat Banana - Walnut Muffins

I was oblivious to the word "muffin" until late 90s. That was when we first moved here from India. Up until then, India was almost free from foreign food chains and majority of the homes did not have these economically affordable double duty microwaves that work as conventional ovens as well. Only a small percentage of housewives baked at home and we knew only about the stuff sold in our local bakeries. I had never come across muffins and I don't think I even had heard about cupcakes though we enjoyed succulent, mouthwatering single serving cakes.

Now the baking scenario in India has pretty much changed. Majority of the homes now have microwaves and home baking has become a norm to enthusiastic cooks though getting hold of the baking stuff in small towns is still tougher. It is another thing that that there are many Indian housewives like my mother for instance who are not adventurous as bloggers and use their microwaves only to reheat leftover stuff, however expensive their MWs may be. 

Now moving on to the recipe. Banana muffins need no introduction and are probably the most popular stuff with a novice baker. Usually the left over bananas in my home go towards these muffins or banana bread for my kids' snacking. I have been using this low fat recipe for years now and it yields good muffins. The original recipe was egg and flour based one but I go with wheat flour instead.

Ingredients: (Make 6)
Dry ingredients:
3/4 cup wheat flour (I use chapathi flour. All purpose flour can be substituted. Or use 6 Tbsp wheat flour + 6 Tbsp all purpose flour.)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
2 Tbsp walnut pieces + 2 Tbsp for sprinkling on top
Wet Ingredients:
2 bananas
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp melted butter

Method:
* Preheat oven to 375 deg F / 190 deg C.
* Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.
* Mash bananas in another bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Stir in melted butter.
* Stir in dry ingredients except the walnuts used for sprinkling.
* Grease or line the muffin pan with paper cups. Spoon the batter into cups so that it fills up to 3/4th of each cup. Sprinkle walnuts.
* Bake until a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean or for about 30 - 35 minutes.

Linking this to
1. Srivalli's "Kid's Delight" event, guest hosted by Priya this month with the theme "Eggless / Vegan Bakes".
2. Anjali's "Cakes, Cookies & Desserts" event.
Check here to find out what the other marathoners participating in this BM are cooking.

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Fruit Salad with Mango Sauce

This is a simple yet delightful fruit salad, which can be put together with ease. An excellent alternative to custard fruit salad, in fact a better one for mango lovers.

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped mixed fruit (Any ripe fruit will work. I added apple, banana, kiwi, mango, peaches and pear.)
1/2 cup mango puree (I used kesar mango pulp but homemade puree can be used.)

Method:
Add the chopped fruits to a bowl and pour the mango sauce / puree.
Cover and chill for a couple of hours. Serve.

This is going to be my Day 6 entry for blogging marathon #9. Check what other marathoners are cooking today.

This also goes to Srivalli's "Soups and Salads" Mela.

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A Virtual Sankranthi Tambula(m)

Happy Sankranthi / Pongal to all my readers.
Sankranthi happens to be a very popular festival in our home state Andhra that is meant to celebrate the harvest of the new crop and in turn the new life. :)
According to this year's Telugu calendar, bhogi falls on the 14th, sankranthi on 15th and kanuma on 16th of January. 

Now a virtual tambula to my readers. This platter contains a typical Sankranthi tambula distributed by young girls around their neighborhoods in Bangalore. Ellu-bella*, sakkare atchu (sugar figurines), bananas, sugarcane and kumkum.

* Though ellu - bella means sesame seeds - jaggery literally, the mixture also contain roasted and skinned peanuts, roasted chana, copra pieces and sugar coated, colored cumin.

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