With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner, many people will be preparing for the festival that is celebrated in a very grand way in Mumbai and India.
Along with the traditions, food is an important part of the festival — right from the prasad to other sweet treats enjoyed during all the days of the festival. Whether you’re preparing modak for Bappa to share with family and friends or just relishing the joy of festive cooking, nothing compares to the aroma of freshly made sweets filling your house, especially laddoos during this season.
Adding to the delight, here are recipes for healthy festive treats from Audible`s The Tastes of India Podcast to help you get started. These are a few signature Ganesh Chaturthi dishes which are easy to make and nutritious, from signature steamed modaks to laddoos that melt in your mouth — they have a little bit of everything.
It’s time to tie up your apron, press play and make the sweets essential for this festival.
Coconut and Jaggery Modak
Ingredients:
Ghee 3-4 tsp, as required
Coconut 2 cups, grated
Jaggery 1 cup, powdered or grated
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Rice flour 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Salt 1 pinch, optional
Method:
1. To make the puran, heat a pan and add 1 tsp of ghee. Proceed to add jaggery and coconut to it to saute. Continue the process until both are blending well and the mixture turns thick. The cardamom powder can then be added. Ensure that everything is mixed well. Switch off the gas then and let it cool down.
2. To make the dough, bring 1 cup of water to boil and add 1 tsp ghee and a pinch of salt if you wish to. Proceed to mix this well.
3. The flame can then be turned off with rice flour being mixed well into the mixture. Cover the mixture and let it rest for at least 4-5 minutes, to ensure that the temperature slightly comes down.
4. The dough can then be transferred to a clean plate with 1-2 tsp of ghee being added. Proceed to knead the dough until it turns smooth.
5. Using the dough, make an equal size of balls and keep this covered.
6. To make the modak, divide the filling into equal 1 tbsp measures and form neat balls. This must then be set aside.
7. Take a lemon-sized ball of rice flour dough and flatten it out. Using your fingers and the thumb, make small cups out of the dough.
8. Keep one ball of sweet mixture in the centre of the dough and bring the edges to the top to seal it. Ensure the top is pointy.
9. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.
10. Grease the steamer with some ghee and place all the prepared modak into the steamer.
11. Close the lid and steam the modaks for 10-12 minutes or until the outer cover of the modak starts to look shiny.
12. Take out all the prepared modaks and let it cool down before serving!
Khoi Laddoo
Ingredients:
Moi (Khoi Lava) Or puffed rice: 100 gm
Khoya 350 gm
Jaggery 3-4 tbsp
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Roasted sesame seeds 3-4 tbsp
Ghee 2 tbsp
Raisins to garnish
Method:
1. Add the moi/khoi lava/ puffed rice along with jaggery and cardamom powder into a big bowl or plate.
2. Add sesame seeds and ghee to the mixture and mix everything well.
3. After greasing your hands with ghee, pinch a small portion of the mixture to give it the shape of a laddoo.
4. Follow the same process with the remaining mixture.
5. Once the laddoos have been made, they can be garnished with raisins or nuts of your choice. (These laddoos can be kept in the refrigerator so they can be consumed later).
Sattu Laddoo
Ingredients:
Sattu Flour 1 cup
Jaggery Powder 1/2 cup, as required
Ghee 4 tbsp
Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
Method:
1. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a kadai or a pan.
2. Add sattu flour to it and mix it with the ghee. The sattu flour must be roasted on a low flame. Ensure that you continue stirring the mixture for 2-3 minutes.
3. The sattu can then be transferred into a separate bowl.
4. Add jaggery powder and cardamom powder to the sattu and mix everything well.
5. Add 3 tsp of ghee to the mixture and give it a nice mix as well.
6. Now, shape the mixture into laddoos, ensuring that the mixture remains warm.
7. If you’re still unable to form the laddoos, some ghee can be added into the mixture.
8. The sattu laddoos can then be served as a sweet snack.
