Ganesh Chaturthi is an auspicious festival in India and Hindus celebrate the festival with great fun and grandeur. The festival is also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Ganeshotsav. This festival is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesh – one of the Hindu deities.
Lord Ganesha is referred to as Vighnaharta – one who removes obstacles and is prayed to first before any Puja. He is also worshipped as the God of wisdom, intelligence, new beginnings, wealth, and fortune. Festival in India is all about cooking, eating, and celebrating together. No celebration is complete without sweets and Prasad. Thus, here are a few Ganesh Chaturthi recipes you can try at home.
1. Modak
1. Grate 1 cup fresh jaggery and coconut and set them aside. You can use frozen coconut or desiccated coconut as well.
2. Then heat ghee in a pan and add ½ teaspoon poppy seeds. Fry the poppy seeds on a low flame until they start crackling.
3. Then add the grated coconut and chopped jaggery. Mix well and cook on low heat, keep stirring often, and cook this mixture till the moisture from the jaggery begins to dry for about 7 to 9 minutes.
4. Don’t overcook the mixture as the jaggery then hardens. Let the coconut-jaggery filling cool completely to thicken more
5. For rice flour dough, add 1.5 cups water in a pan, ¼ teaspoon oil or ghee, and ¼ teaspoon salt and bring the mixture to boil.
6. Then add 1 cup of rice flour and stir till all the rice flour is mixed with the water. Now take all the dough and begin to knead it. Roll and make small balls without any cracks in the dough.
7. Take the balls of dough and flatten it with your hands and then place a few teaspoons of stuffing in the center. Mould it into the shape of Modak and then steam it.
2. Coconut Laddu
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and add 2 cups of desiccated coconut until it gives a nutty aroma. Then add 1 cup milk and d1/4 cream and cook it until the milk is absorbed by the coconut.
2. Then add 2/3 sugar, 3 to 4 teaspoons milk powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder and stir it until it forms a dough-like consistency.
3. After the dough cools down make small balls of it and then coat it with desiccated coconut and then finally garnish it with slivered pistachios or other nuts of choice and dried rose petals.
3. Besan Laddu
1. Take heavy bottom kadai, add ghee, oil and besan cook on medium flame for 10 to 12 minutes until besan turns golden brown.
2. Then add chopped nuts, mix well and keep aside to cool down.
Once cool, add the Nestlé milkmaid(optional) and mix well.
3. Divide the mixture into 24 portions and gently roll into laddus.
4. Suji ka Halwa or Sheera
Take a small pot and boil the milk and water with sugar, ground cardamom, and saffron. Keep stirring the mixture at regular intervals and boil until the sugar is mixed. Roast sooji or semolina in ghee until golden brown and don't forget to add nuts for the crunch. Now add the mixture of water and milk to the semolina and keep stirring it till it comes to a porridge-like consistency.
5. Kalakand
Grease a square tray with ghee. Keep another pan on a medium flame and add ricotta cheese, condensed milk, and milk powder and mix well.
Keep stirring the mixture until it thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
Now add ghee, cardamom powder, and rose water. Mix well for 1-2 minutes.
Now, transfer the mixture to a tray and use a spatula to flatten the mixture. You can sprinkle pistachios and crushed saffron for a better taste and look.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and cut with a sharp knife into squares.
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