Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

Lord Ganesha or elephant god is pretty popular in Hindu religion. Before starting any work, you always seek his blessings. Today, we celebrate his birth and it is celebrated in a grand manner all through out India. Here are some delicacies I made to please Lord Ganesha- Enjoy!

Sweet Modak

My favorite is the sweet modak. It's a simple dish made out of rice flour stuffed with jaggery and coconut which is steamed to perfection.

Ingredients-

Only four ingredients are required for this dish- Rice flour (2 cups), Jaggery (2/3 rd of a cup), 1 cup grated coconut, crushed cardamom for flavor.

Preparation- To prepare the dough, boil water in a wok. As it starts to boil, add one spoon oil and switch off your gas. To this boiling water, add the rice flour slowly and keep mixing till it becomes a smooth dough. For the filling, crush the jaggery to a powder consistency. On a low flame, melt the jaggery and as it starts to melt add grated coconut and cardamom. Mix thoroughly. Just ensure that the filling is not too mushy or too hard. Take a small ball of rice flour and flatten it with your hand. With your finger press the middle portion of the flattened dough so that it resembles a cup. Fill about half a spoon of the filling in middle. Close the dough with the filling in middle and shape the top to a small pointed dome.  Steam this for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

Medhu Vada- 


This dish sounds simple but requires precision and a bit of effort. All you need is a lentils batter which is shaped like a doughnut and fried till golden brown.

Ingredients- Urad dal (1 cup) - white gram/lentils, 2 tsp rice, chopped curry leaves, black pepper corn, 1 green chilli.

Preparation- Batter preparation is the tough part. Please note that urad dal and rice should be soaked in water for an hour. Drain the water completely and blend the lentils in a mixer to a smooth batter with green chillies, salt, curry leaves and pepper. The batter should be firm and not watery. Avoid using water when you blend it in a mixer. Once the batter is ready, heat oil in a wok. Shape the batter like a doughnut with a hole in middle and fry it to golden brown on both sides.

Sundal (Chick peas)-

This is a simple and a easy dish to make. All you need is chick peas steamed till they are soft and tender (alternatively, you can use a can of cooked chick peas). In a wok, heat some oil. Toss in some mustard seeds. As they start to sputter, add chopped green chillies and chopped curry leaves. Add the cooked chick peas with a bit of salt and mix them thoroughly. Final touch is the grated coconut. Add half a cup grated coconut to this and enjoy!