Ganesh Chaturthi, the most-awaited festival of the year is here and we just can’t keep calm. The festival is celebrated across India, especially in Maharashtra, Karnataka, AP and Telangana. Lord Ganesha is worshipped in this 10-day long extravaganza. Like any other Indian festival, Ganesh Chaturthi is also associated with traditional dishes that are made at home by devotees. While the sweet shops are lined with most of these sweet delicacies, making them at home with and for the lord and your loved ones have a different charm! We at Mesmara team have curated two traditional recipes for you to try this Ganesh Chaturthi 2019.
Two Special Dishes for Ganesh Chaturthi 2019
#1 – Modak (sweet dumplings)
Modak or sweet dumplings is one of the traditional dishes to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. As Modak is considered to be the favorite sweet of Lord Ganesha, no Ganesh Chaturthi celebration is complete without offering Modak to the deity. You can too make it at home to offer to the Lord. If you’re creative, you can make different flavors of it like chocolate modak, dry fruit modak, steamed modak, fried modak and lots more. So, let’s get started!
Ingredients:
- Rice flour – 1 cup
- Water – 1 cup
- Mesmara groundnut oil – ¼ teaspoon
- Salt – One pinch
- Inner filling:
- Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup
- Jaggery – 1 cup
- Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon
- Nutmeg powder – One pinch
- Ghee – ½ tablespoon
Method
Take a pan and add ghee in it. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powder in it. Once it is hot enough, add the coconut and stir well. Now add the jaggery and mix well. Cook it on a low flame to avoid burning. Let the jaggery melt well. Keep stirring to ensure the jaggery mixes well with the coconut. Once it mixes well, turn off the heat and keep it aside to cool.
Now let’s start working on the outer covering of the modak.
Take a heavy bottomed pan and add water to it. Let it boil. Add groundnut oil and salt. Give a stir. Once the water starts rolling, add the rice flour. Stir it well. Now turn off the heat and put the dough aside covered for some time. Once it cools down, take the dough in a big flat plate and start kneading the dough. Make small balls out of the dough and roll them to make it smooth. Roll them to perfection and keep them covered with a wet kitchen towel.
Take hot water in a cup. Grease your palms with ghee or oil. Take a steamer pan and grease it too with ghee or oil. Now take a ball of dough, make a small indentation in the middle and stuff a portion of the coconut filling. Now shape it so that the filling is covered from all sides. Make 10-12 modaks (depending on the size of your steamer pan) and place them in the steamer pan and steam them from 10-15 minutes. Once the modaks are cooked completely, drizzle some ghee on top.
Pro tip: If the dough becomes hard, add a spoonful of hot water to get the kneading consistency. If you are making modaks for the first time, it may crack up, which is fine. You will gain the expertise with practise!
#2 – Puran Poli
Puran poli is another all time favorite and one of the traditional dishes to make at home on Ganesh Chaturthi. It is a popular Maharashtrian dish that is made widely during festivals including Ganesh Chaturthi. If you want to make it at home, here are step – by – step guides for you.
Ingredients for the inner filling (Puran)
- Chana dal: 1 cup
- Jaggery: 1 cup
- Water – 2 cups
- Ghee – 2 teaspoons
- Fennel powder – 1 teaspoon
- Dry ginger powder – 1 tablespoon
- Nutmeg powder – 1 teaspoon
- Cardamom powder – ½ teaspoon
Ingredients for the outer covering (Poli)
- Whole wheat atta – 2 cups
- Mesmara extra virgin olive oil – 4 tablespoons
- Mesmara groundnut oil – to fry the polis
- Water – to knead the dough
Method
Soak the dal overnight. Then drain the water and pressure cook it. Strain the water and keep the daal aside.
Take a pan and add ghee. Add all the ingredients and sauté it for a minute. Now add dal and stir well. Add jaggery and cook on a low flame. Let the moisture evaporate. Switch off the flame. Let it cool and then mash to a smooth paste.
Take the atta and add the olive oil. Mix well. Now start pouring water slowly and knead it. Keep kneading until the dough is soft and smooth. Cover and keep it aside for some time.
Now separate the dough in medium sized balls. Keep them aside. Take a ball and roll it to make a flatbread. Put a portion of the filling. Now seal it by bringing the edges of the poli from all sides. Make a ball and roll it again. Repeat the same steps with all the dough. Now take a tawa, drizzle groundnut oil and start frying the polis. Ensure both sides are cooked well. (it will have brown and golden spots). Serve hot puran polis drizzled with ghee.
Other traditional dishes that you can make at home for Ganesh Chaturthi 2019 are Shrikhand, Nariyal Ke Laddoo, Motichoor Laddoo, Banana Sheera, etc. Enjoy the festivity with your loved ones.
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