Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day long festival which is celebrated as Lord Ganesha’s birthday. The festival is celebrated with great zeal and fervour across India, especially Maharashtra. This year Ganesh Chaturthi is on Monday, 2nd of September.

On this festival, devotees offer various sweets to the deity, Lord Ganesha, amongst which modaks make for the most prominent Prasad. These sweet dumplings are the favourite treat to Lord Ganesha and thus he is also known as ‘Modakpriya’, someone who likes modak.

As per the rituals, 21 modaks are offered to the elephant headed God as bhog and eventually served as Prasad to all devotees.

Here is the recipe to prepare 21 modaks at home:

Serves: 21

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

For stuffing

Grated coconut: 2 cups

Powdered jaggery: 2 cups

Grated mawa: 1 cup

Chopped cashew nuts: 3 tbsp

Chopped pistachios: 3 tbsp

Fresh green cardamom: ½ tsp (powdered)

For outer shell

Rice flour: 2 cups

Salt: 1/3 tsp

Pure ghee: 1 tbsp

Hot water: 2 cups

Method

For stuffing

Heat a non-stick pan. Add grated coconut and mawa. Stir it occasionally on low flame for two minutes. Add powdered jiggery. Mix all ingredients and stir occasionally until the mixture turns light brown in colour. Add cashew nuts, pistachios and cardamom powder. Mix well.Cook on medium flame stirring the mixture continuously.Turn off flame and let the mixture cool completely. Divide the mixture in 21 equal parts and keep aside.

For modaks

Take rice flour in a big bowl. Add two cups of hot water and keep stirring until the dough becomes free from lumps. The dough should not be too tight or too loose. Divide the dough in 21 equal parts. Roll the portions like small poori one by one with the help of rolling pin. Shape the poori into a small cup. Add a portion of stuffing mixture already prepared. Close the edges using your fingers and seal it. Steam modaks until done. After steaming, let them cool. Transfer them in a serving plate and offer for bhog Prasad.Serve and enjoy! Modaks make for the most prominent Prasad of the festival. Make them and enjoy the festival with this sweetmeat.

Jai Shree Ganesha!