The auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi falls on August 22 this year. The festival is celebrated for 10 days according to the Hindu lunar calendar, with the biggest spectacle taking place on the last day called Anant Chaturdashi.
Ganesh Chaturthi commemorates the birthday of Lord Ganesh. On this day, beautiful handcrafted idols of the Lord are installed both in homes and in public. Prana Pratishtha is performed to invoke the power of the deity into the idol, followed by a 16 step ritual known as Shodashopachara Puja.
The idols of Lord Ganesh are worshiped every day, with an aarti in the evening. The largest Ganesh statues, on display to the public, are usually taken out and immersed in water on Anant Chaturdashi. However, many people who keep an idol in their homes carry out the immersion much before this.
Many kinds of sweetmeats are prepared especially for the festival and distributed among family members once it is offered to Lord Ganesha as part of the bhog.
Here are delicious recipes of modaks you can prepare at home this Ganesh Chaturthi:
Dry Fruits Modak:
How to make:
- In a pan add a teaspoon of ghee, almonds, cashew, and the pistachio.
- Pan-fry the nuts in ghee for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
- While the nuts cool, chop the dates for easy grinding.
- Add the cooled nuts into a mixer and pulse 3 to 4 times till the nuts are broken into small pieces. Do not make powder.
- Now add the dates and pulse again to make a coarse texture. Add a heaping tablespoon of ghee.
- Start pulsing till the entire mixture comes together like a dough.
- Take a small portion of the mixture and try forming a ball, if the mixture holds together it is the right consistency. But if the mixture is crumbly and falling apart add more ghee.
- Stuff the mould on both sides. Tightly close the mould and smooth the sides and the bottom. Open the mold carefully.
Chocolate Modak:
How to make:
- Powder the glucose biscuits well. Mix it with the drinking chocolate powder, milkmaid, and four tablespoons of ghee.
- Fry the cashews and hazelnuts in 1 tablespoon ghee.
- Make a ball of the chocolate mix and while you do so, add one of the dry fruits in the center Complete by giving it the Modak shape. You can use moulds also.
- Roll the modaks in desiccated coconut and serve chilled.
Channa Dal Modak:
How to make:
- Take Chana dal in a pressure cooker, add in 2.5 cups of water. Pressure cook for 4 whistles, simmer for 5 mins. Turn off the heat and let the steam go all by itself. Open the cooker and set aside.
- Take jaggery and water in a saucepan and heat till it is melted. Strain and set aside.
- Pour this back into the same Kadai. Add in coconut, cooked chana dal and mix well.
- Keep cooking this till it is thick. Add in cardamom powder, ghee and mix well. Remove this to a bowl and allow it to cool down.
- Divide it into small balls.
- Now make the dough. Take water in a saucepan, add in salt, and 1 tsp of oil. Once the water reaches a boil add in rice flour and mix well. It will become like a sticky dough.
- Now remove this to a bowl and let it cool for 15 mins. Once it is cooled, add in 1 tsp of oil and make it into a soft dough.
- Now take modak mould and grease it lightly.
- Take a small portion of dough and spread it evenly in mould. Place the filling in and cover it with more dough.Now release the mould, you will have a modak.
