Ganesh Chaturthi, one of the biggest Hindu festivals, is set to be celebrated on Friday, August 25 in honour of the birth of Lord Ganesha or Ganpati.
Devotees across the country are gearing up with preparations for the 11 day long festival. Since no festivals in India are complete without mouth-watering delicacies, here we bring to you some different recipes of Modak (sweet), which is said to be Lord Ganesha's favourite dish.
Modak is prepared differently in different states. The sweet dumplings can be either steamed or fried.
While the base that is made of rice flour, maida or wheat flour remains the same, the fillings can be changed according to one's taste. These days, people are also open to experiment with different types of modak.
Traditional or Ukadiche Modak:
Maida flour parcels are stuffed with coconut, jaggery, nutmeg and saffron and then steamed. This is the most popular modak consumed highly during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Chana Dal Modak
Chana dal modaks are made with chana dal and jaggery fillings. You can either steam it or fry them.
Rava Modak
Rava or sooji or semolina can be used as the outer shell of the modak. Fried Rava modaks tastes better as it gives a crispiness. Fillings may include chana dal or freshly grated coconut with jaggery.
Chocolate Modak
Chocolate modaks are quite popular and you can either make the outer shell of chocolate or or fill it with chocolate, cake crumbs and walnuts. The entire preparation can then be placed inside the refrigerator. To add to its taste, serve it with vanilla ice cream.
Dry Fruits Modak
For this, try making the base with mawa (khoya) and load it with filling of dry fruits like almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, pistachios, dates etc.
