Ganesh Chaturthi Desserts
Ganesh Chaturthi Desserts
The traditional Ganesh Chaturthi desserts are based on modak, as it is believed to be Lord Ganesha's favorite sweet. Other choices for offerings are puran poli, laddoos, and coconut-based sweets during the festival.
Go for the classic ukadiche modak, steamed from a dough of rice flour and filled with jaggery and coconut, or opt for a simpler dough and fry it if steaming sounds like too much effort for the occasion.
Offering modak and other sweets to Lord Ganesha as prasad symbolizes devotion and the sweetness of life. It is believed that sharing the desserts with family and friends afterwards is auspicious.
Make an instant modak from a ready-made rice flour mix or make no-cook coconut ladoos or a simple besan laddoo that does away with steaming altogether.
Steamed modak will keep well for about a day at room temperature or 2-3 days in the fridge. Fried varieties and laddoos will last a little longer if stored in an airtight container.
Healthier versions use less jaggery, substitute whole wheat flour for refined flour, or prefer steamed modak over fried modak to cut down on added fat.
The traditional modak dough is hand-shaped and steamed, while newer versions include chocolate-stuffed or baked versions, but many families still prefer the classic coconut-jaggery filling.
For a modern twist, try the chocolate-stuffed modak, the dry fruit modak, which needs no cooking at all, or the mawa-based version for a richer, creamier filling.
Cadbury Dairy Milk melts beautifully into modak filling; its smooth texture easily combines with coconut and jaggery without overpowering the traditional flavor of the dessert.
Modak, steamed or fried with a small chunk of melted Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate at the center, or drizzle over puran poli for an easy festive twist.
Steam a dough of rice flour and hot water until pliable, shape into small cups, fill with a mixture of coconut and jaggery, pleat the edges together, and steam for about ten minutes.
Cook the grated coconut with jaggery on low heat till thick and slightly sticky. Flavour with cardamom powder. Let it cool completely before using to fill modak dough.
In a pan, combine grated coconut, condensed milk, cardamom and cook for a short time until it thickens. Shape into modak using a mould without the need of any dough or steaming at all.
Mix chopped dried fruits like cashews, almonds, and raisins with a little ghee and jaggery, and use this as a filling inside dough modak, or shape it directly into no-cook modak balls.
Rub ghee on a modak mold or your palms. Shape some of the dough or coconut mix with your hands and steam it for a short time in a covered pot with a steamer basket.
Cook the khoya gently with sugar and cardamom until it comes together. Shape into a modak using a mold, chilling briefly if necessary to help it hold its form.
You can cook the grated coconut and jaggery until thick and glossy. Then let it cooldown for some time and use as a rich, traditional stuffing for steamed or fried modak.
For the modak stuffing, you need to heat a heavy pan over low heat and stir together coconut, jaggery, and a pinch of cardamom until it binds and no longer sticks to the sides.
For chocolate variations, a good quality dark or semi-sweet cocoa powder works well blended into the modak dough, giving a rich flavor without affecting the dough's ability to hold its shape.
To fill the modak, the smoothest milk chocolate melts most evenly because it becomes soft and gooey once steamed, but not grainy or separating from the surrounding dough.
Softened chana dal is mashed with jaggery and cardamom to form a smooth filling, which is then stuffed into a soft wheat dough disc, rolled gently, and cooked on a griddle.
Puran Poli is a sweet flatbread filled with spiced lentil and jaggery filling, wrapped in a wheat dough. Traditionally served with ghee and sometimes with a side of warm milk or amti.
Puran Poli Amti is a spiced, tangy dal-based curry that is traditionally served with puran poli. The leftover cooking liquid from the lentils is combined with tamarind and spices to balance.
Store cooled Puran poli in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two or refrigerate for about four to five days, and reheat gently on a tawa before serving.
Whisk the batter ingredients briefly. Microwave the stuffed dough disc on a microwave-safe plate in short bursts, checking regularly, but a stovetop tawa will generally give better texture and browning.
Add the soaked and cooked chana dal to the jaggery and cardamom and mash until completely smooth to make the traditional Puran, which can be used as a rich, sweet stuffing for the dough discs.
If the filling is watery, cook it further over a low flame, stirring constantly, to evaporate excess moisture. You can also add a spoonful of roasted gram flour to help absorb the liquid.
For a lighter, faster version of Puran Poli with a distinctly tropical, coconut-heavy flavor, swap out some of the traditional dal filling for grated coconut and jaggery, cooked down until it thickens.
For a chocolate version, mix in a good quality dark or milk chocolate cocoa powder into the Puran filling, adding richness without making the mixture too wet to stuff properly.
Any variety of Dairy Milk chocolate melts gently into a coconut-based Puran Poli filling that blends with the dough as it cooks, and adds a mild sweetness that pairs nicely with coconut and jaggery.
Heat the ghee in a pan, add the semolina, and fry over low heat until fragrant and golden brown. Then add the hot water or milk and the sugar and stir until the mixture thickens and becomes soft and grainy.
Sheera is a sweet pudding made from semolina cooked in ghee with sugar and water or milk. It is flavored with cardamom and garnished with nuts and is popular in Maharashtra and other parts of India.
Add diced pineapple and sugar and heat until soft. Fold this into semolina cooked in water or milk to add a hint of fruitiness to the overall sweetness of the dish.
Roast semolina in ghee, then add warm milk instead of water, along with sugar, stirring constantly until it thickens into a richer, creamier version of the traditional Sheera recipe.
Sweet potato, grated or mashed, was roasted with semolina, ghee, and sugar to make a denser, well-combined, and naturally sweeter Sheera variation with an earthy flavor.
Toast whole wheat flour in ghee until it is a deep golden color and fragrant, rather than semolina. You can add water and sugar and stir until thick—a nuttier, denser Sheera.
Use jaggery instead of sugar in equal or slightly more quantity, dissolved in warm water separately before adding to the roasted semolina for a deeper, caramel-like flavor.
Sheera is a sweet dish prepared with sugar and ghee. A typical serving of Sheera contains about two hundred to two hundred and fifty calories. The calorie content depends on the amount of ghee and sugar used in the preparation and the serving size.
For the chocolate sheera, a high-quality cocoa powder works better than melted chocolate, as it blends smoothly without destroying the dish's grainy texture. Any variety of Dairy Milk chocolates can be an ideal option for making chocolate sheera.
Roast semolina with cocoa powder; add chopped dried fruits like almonds, cashews, and raisins to make a rich, textured chocolate dry fruit sheera with a crunch throughout.
Shrikhand is a classic Gujarati Indian sweet made with thickened yogurt, dry fruits, and saffron. Shrikhand is often prepared for celebrations and is considered a festive dessert.
Firstly, prepare fresh curd, tie it in a muslin cloth, and let it drain out the whey water until it thickens. Mix sugar, saffron, and dry fruits of your choice, whip the curd until smooth and creamy, and cool it before serving.
It is made of thickened yogurt, dry fruits, sugar, cardamom, and saffron.
Add mango pulp and fresh mango and follow the same process as making regular shrikhand.
To sweeten Shrikhand naturally, you may opt for wholesome and organic alternatives such as jaggery, raw honey, or some maple syrup. However, using powdered jaggery is better as liquid sweeteners often thin out the thick consistency of Shrikhand.
You can add some whipped cream, a spoonful of condensed milk, or milk powder to make the shrikhand thicker. If it hasn't reached that consistency yet, avoid blending it and allow it to set for 1-2 hours before consumption.
Strain the water content properly from the curd by wrapping it in a muslin cloth and hanging it over a bowl for 2-4 hours; that way, the whey content will be completely removed.
It depends on the preference of the person consuming it, whether they want to balance out the sweetness of shrikhand with dark chocolate or to make it creamier by adding in milk chocolate instead.
For a fusion chocolate amrakhand or shrikhand, the best chocolate is a premium semi-sweet or dark chocolate (54% to 55% cocoa).
Chocolate with 35-55% cocoa, mildly sweet and dark chocolate would work best with dry fruit shrikhand as it won't overpower the slight sourness and sweetness of shrikhand while still being able to feel the crunch from the dry fruits.