Happy Lohri 2024: What is 'Lohri ki thaali' and traditional foods to include in it

One can almost feel the winter festival s coming; where this time of the year celebrates many such festivals across the country. As the winter season nears its end, Hindus, especially Sikhs gear up in time to celebrate their auspicious festival that is considered to be a traditional harvest season in Punjab and also, to mark the end of winter.

Hoards of Sikhs celebrate Lohri by lighting a huge bonfire at night. Everyone collects wood and logs for the bonfire and later, dress up nicely to sing folk or Lohri songs at night, in front of the bonfire. Such folk songs are sung to thank the Sun God for providing heat for the harvests. People rejoice and dance to the sound of drums and dhols and pray to the Gods to take away all the negativity and evil spirits from their lives. People also cook a number of traditional dishes to commemorate the festival. Hence, in the account of this, here are some traditional dishes you can include in your Lohri ki Thaali .

Gobhi ke pakore

This fried recipe is a delish for many. Fresh cauliflower is dipped into flour batter and is then fried into a crispy, golden dish. This can be a very delicious starter to have in your thaali which is both tasty yet nutritious.

Sarson da saag

This is one of the most famous traditional Punjabi dishes that is perfectly nutritious and tasty. With mustard leaves and Punjabi spices, this recipe can be enjoyed with homemade butter to make it even more mouth-watering.

Makki Ki Roti

You can’t leave out this dish if you have Sarson da Saag in your thaali. With simple ingredients, this recipe is extremely delicious as one can almost feel all the spices and ingredients individually while tasting this delish.

Dahi bhalle

This dish is a blend of curd, tamarind sauce, dry fruits, urad dal, various spices etc. This dish is very helpful in digestion if you especially need one dish to level out other rich dishes. Serve it with garnished fresh coriander leaves and green chillies.

Atta ladoo

This is a very popular North Indian dessert that is on popular demand all the time, yet doesn’t require much work at all! It can be made with just three simple ingredients: flour, jaggery and ghee. You can also add dry fruits to make it seem more inviting.

Gur ki gajak

One can find this sweet dish almost anywhere in Punjab since it is a very popular recipe of Punjab. This is said to keep one healthy and strong in the winter season and so, these are distributed among everyone during the bonfire and are presented in the Lohri ki Thaali as well.