MODAK: " I love modak and make it a point to eat this sweet in various varieties during Ganesh Chaturthi. Shanky gets a variety of them from various shops across Mumbai," says Aditya.
Ingredients: Rice flour -1 cup, Jaggery - 1 cup, Coconut -1 cup grated, Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp, Ghee -1 tsp
Method: Heat 1 cup of water, add a tsp of oil to it and then add the prepared rice flour stirring continuously so that it does not form lumps. Cook for 5 minutes. Knead it into soft dough. If needed your can sprinkle that water and knead the dough well. Cover it with a wet cloth and keep it aside.
Stuffing: Melt the jaggery in half a cup of water and filter. Heat jaggery and when it starts boiling, add grated coconut and a tsp of ghee. Cook till it leaves the sides of the pan. Add cardamom powder and mix well. Your stuffing is ready. When it cools a little, make small balls out of it and keep it aside.
Grease your palms with oil, keep the dough and flatten it into round shape with the other hand. Now place the jaggery ball on it and close it. Repeat the process for all the rice flour balls.
Arrange all the prepared modaks on a greased plate and steam it. Wait for it to cool down and the modaks are ready to be served.
BUNDI KE LADDO: " Ganeshji loves laddo and I prepare it for him every year. This year too I am all set to make bundi laddo and serve them to Arnavji as well," says Khushi.
Ingredients: Besan – 1 cup, Water to make the batter – 2 tsp approx. ( it should be flowing consistency), Sugar – 1 cup, Water for sugar syrup – 1 cup, Kesar – few strings, Cardamom powder – tsp, Food Colour – Orange and Green, Oil for deep-frying the Bundis
Method: Besan Batter -Take a big bowl and mix besan with water, ensure no lumps are formed into the besan batter and keep stirring. Take 2 separate small bowls and make similar batter from besan with just 1 tablespoon besan in each small bowl and add a pinch of orange and green colour to this mixture.
For the Sugar Syrup -Take a thick bottom pan and add water and sugar to it and heat this on medium to low flame to form one thread consistency sugar syrup. Add Kesar to this liquid.
Take a kadhai and heat the oil in it for frying the bundis. For Deep Frying the Bundi's -Take the besan batter and pour it over a sieve with round holes and tap it gently with a spoon so that small balls of besan fall into the oil. Keep the sieve low and not too high above the kadhai else perfect balls won't be formed. Repeat the process for the colour bundis. Now pour the bundis into the sugar syrup and mix well. Add in the cardamom powder to the fried bundis mixture and stir well. Let it cool for few seconds.
For making the Ladoos -Wet your palms nicely and start making the ladoos by pressing one or two tablespoon bundi in your palms to form a ball. The mixture needs to be still hot and if it cools the balls won't be formed. Keep using the water by wetting your palms nicely to form each ladoo. Serve these delicious colourful ladoos.
PURAN-POLI: "This year we are going to serve Puran Poli to Ganeshji. Hope he loves them and showers his blessings on us," says Jeevika.
Ingredients: Chana dal 1 cup, Jaggery 1 cup, Cardamom 1 tsp, Maida/Plain flour 1 and 1/2 cups, Turmeric- a pinch, sooji (2 tsp), Oil 1 tsp, Salt(a pinch)
Method: Cook Chana dal in a pressure cooker. Drain all the water. Cook dal mixed with jaggery for 10min. Grind without using water. Add cardamom and mix well with hand to get a smooth mixture. Mix maida with sooji, turmeric, salt. Add water, oil and make a dough. Cover and keep aside for 1hr. Take a ball of dough and spread with hand. Keep a ball of chana mixture and cover with the dough and seal the ends. Apply oil to a plastic paper, keep the ready ball on it and roll it like chapathi. Fry on hot tava till it gets golden brown color.Serve hot/cold with milk/ghee.
So what are you waiting for? Head right towards your kitchen and start preparing Bappa's favorite food to please him. All the best! Happy Ganesh Chaturthi
Shiv Shakti
