“Tilgul ghyaa godh godh bola” translates to “have some sesame seeds and jaggery, and speak sweet words”. It is that time of the year again when you will hear ladies greeting each other with this sweet greeting while exchanging “vayn” and tilgul. It is Makarsankranthi time! Back in the day, women would not go out as often as they do today. So Sankranthi was a time they all got to meet. They exchange gifts, mostly household items called “vayn” on this day. Tilgul, now a days, is a sugary ball. But back in those days, it was tilgul ladoos that were distributed. With the weather being cold, sesame seeds and jaggery would help impart warmth in the body as these are considered heat producing foods in ayurveda. These days, besides just tilgul, many other snacks are served when ladies gather for a haldi kumkum function. Shrikhand tilgul parfait combines two of my favorite desserts and is a great sweet dish to serve at your haldi kumkum function.

What you will need:

How to make it:

To Make Tilgul:

• Dry roast the sesame seeds until they begin to brown. Remove and set aside.
• Roast the peanuts  until the raw smell is gone or until they begin to brown. Set this aside as well.
• Heat ghee in a pan. Once hot, add in the jaggery.
• Let the jaggery come to boil. Immediately add the sesame seeds and peanuts. Mix well. Set aside to cool.
• This will not be too sticky unless you over caramalize the jaggery.

  

To Make Shrikhand:

• Start with 2 cups of thick whole milk curd. Transfer it to a muslin cloth and hang for at least 2 1/2 hours to drain the water. Discard the water.
• Remove the hung curd in a mixing bowl.
• Add powdered sugar, cardamom powder, saffron, dried edible marigold petals (optional), sliced almonds and pistachio to the curd. Mix well.
• You can get creative and flavor the shrikhand as you like.

  

To Layer the Dessert:

• Choose a small serving glass. Shot glasses work perfectly as you don’t want to serve a big portion for this dessert.
• Pour the shrikhand in the glass 2/3 of the way.
• Top with the tilgul.
• You can also make this in a large serving dish so that people can take as much as they please and it saves you time of making individual cups of parfait. The dessert it self does not take 3 hours to make. It is the entire process of hanging the curd that does. I made the tilgul while the curd was hanging. Making the tilgul takes 15 minutes and making the shrikhand once the curd is ready takes 5 minutes. So really, this is a quick dessert recipe.
• Serve chilled!