"Sancholu"- Lip smacking unique local Himachali Dessert

This unconventional name of food you most be hearing for first time or if you are Kangri you most have heard about it. This is traditional delicacy of Kangra ( I seriously don't know that if it is consumed in other districts or not!! ) May be they must have some other name if they are consuming it but I will talk in respect to my district and recipe followed in Kangra only. So let's roll in some lip smacking, sweet and savoury journey🤤🤤🤤🤤 Don't start drooling it's just the start!!!

Recipe for preparing Sancholu:-

Requirements:-

Sugar or Jaggery (30 gm)

Yeast (5 gm)

Grated coconut (10 gm)

Ghee (20 gm)

Wheat flour (100 gm) 

Aniseeds (5 gm) 

Fennel (1 tsp) 

Refined oil (for frying)

**Most important:-Embossed wooden dyes or Hand-Carved Bread Board ( have you heard about them?? We call then Sanche that's why the dish name is Sancholu)

Bit about Sanche's they are actually round wood hand carved boards with beautiful instrinsic designs and carvings..Here are few of the images of Sanches for your better understanding. May be anyone of you had seen them at your grandparents or at your own home:-

I was searching about Sanche's online and to my utter shock they had been lost somewhere...I was not able to find them anywhere neither online nor in local market only at some foreign sites they were being sold as coasters and decor pieces🥹🥹🥹😱😱😱 I'm soooo shocked man🥹Coasters!!!!! They are not used that way..They had entered the category of antiques like any other historical Indian classical and we were not able to save our rich culture and traditions. 

So question is that why Sanche's are used??? I will answer you below along with recipe

Recipe for Sancholu-

🌾Mithdoo/Sancholu is prepared using dough of wheat flour kneaded with yeast, sugar/ Jaggery or Gud (we use gud by boiling it and then mixing),  grated coconut, ghee, fennel and aniseeds. 

🌾Kneed everything together with water and roll the dough

🌾This dough is cut into round shape (small rotis) and these shapes are then pressed in between designed embossed wooden dyes or Sanche's.

🌾Then they are kept for 3-4 hours for fermenting till the yeast rises.

🌾Then these are deep fried till golden brown in refined oil

🌾Ready to be served hot hot 🥵🥵🥵🥵

🌾We can  also store them for 10-15 days and eat  then later.

Why it is prepared??

This sweet snack is usually prepared during religious, birthday, festive or marriage ceremonies.

In Kangra we usually prepare them during time of Sangrand and Sair along with above mentioned festivities.

Are Mithdu and Sancholu's same??

Sancholu's are round chapati pressed in Sanche's while Mithdu are round balls made from above recipe...

The local inhabitants are consuming sancholu's since centuries and these are very important part of sociocultural life of pahadi people.  But nowadays due to modernization/urbanization, breakdown of joint families to nuclear families,  increase in mobility, changes in food habits and decrease in practice of local food traditions these age old traditional snacks are on the verge of disappearance. 

In present times, due to global trend among the younger generation imported food and dishes that are readily available are more in demand which leads to obesity and other health disorders. But these traditional dishes have no adverse effect on body instead they provide instant energy and heat to the body along with joy of eating something delicious 😋😋😋

Himachal Pradesh is the state having vast basket of traditional foods of its own. People of the state have been following the method of preparation from their ancestors and these dishes have continued like a tradition in maximum parts and in almost every community there are people who still know and understand the traditional values of these ethnic foods.

Thus, an effort should be made by all of us to preserve these unique dishes and we all should try to learn these recipes from our ancestors.

I hope you all will try to protect your deep hidden traditional recipes and will also try to make sancholu's..if you do let me know I would be glad that somehow I was able to spread the word about this hidden yummy delicious dish

Till then 

Bye bye 💭💭

Your friendly Vet

Dreamingvet™ 

❌⭕❌⭕❌⭕❌⭕