Delicacies : Modak & Laddu - Ganesh Chaturthi special- How to make

 

With Ganesh Chaturthi just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to prepare Lord Ganesha’s favorite sweets at home. Many devotees love making festive offerings themselves, adding a personal touch to the celebration. Here are two traditional recipes—Steamed Modak and Motichoor-style Laddu—to prepare for the occasion.

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Steamed Modak

Ingredients:

• Rice flour – 1 cup
• Grated coconut – 1 cup
• Jaggery – 1 cup
• Cardamom powder – a pinch
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Oil – ½ teaspoon

Method:

1. Heat a pan on low flame and dry roast the grated coconut for a few minutes, then set aside.
2. In another pot, boil 1 cup of water. Add the jaggery and stir until it dissolves. Allow it to thicken slightly.
3. Add the roasted coconut and cardamom powder to the jaggery syrup. Stir until you get a soft, sticky filling. Remove from heat and let it cool.
4. In a separate bowl, mix rice flour with a pinch of salt and a little oil. Add hot water gradually and knead into a smooth dough.
5. Make small balls of dough, flatten each one, and create a hollow in the center.
6. Fill the hollow with the coconut-jaggery mixture, then carefully seal and shape it into a modak (a dumpling shape).
7. Steam the modaks in a steamer or over a pot of boiling water until fully cooked.
8. Your soft and aromatic modaks are now ready to offer to Lord Ganesha.

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Motichoor-Style Laddu

Ingredients:

• Chana dal (split Bengal gram) – 1 cup
• Matar dal (yellow split peas) – ½ cup
• Sugar – 1½ cups
• Ghee – 2 cups
• Water – ½ cup
• Cardamom powder – ½ teaspoon
• Chopped dry fruits – ½ cup
• Melon seeds (charmagaz) – 1 tablespoon
• Rose water – 1 teaspoon
• Oil – for frying
• A few drops of orange food color (optional)

Method:

1. Wash the lentils thoroughly and soak them in water for 2 hours.
2. Grind the soaked lentils into a coarse batter (not smooth).
3. Heat oil in a pan and drop small portions of the batter to fry into tiny boondi-sized balls. Drain and set aside.
4. Lightly crush these fried boondi pieces in a mixer, ensuring they remain grainy, not powdered.
5. Roast the melon seeds and dry fruits, then mix them with the crushed boondi.
6. In another pan, make sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water together until it becomes sticky. Add a few drops of food color.
7. Add the boondi mixture to the syrup, stirring well until everything combines and forms a binding texture.
8. Mix in ghee, cardamom powder, and rose water. Remove from heat.
9. While warm, shape the mixture into round laddus.
10. Delicious motichoor-style laddus are ready for offering.