Ganesha recipes: Sweet Kachori, Modak, Karanji and more

On Ganesh Chaturthi, welcome the elephant god with these traditional, easy-to-make recipes.

The ten-day long festival of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the rebirth of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvathi.

As part of the celebrations, huge idols of the elephant god are installed and worshipped across the country.

Through the festival, people make various sweets and offer it as prasad after the daily aarti and pooja.

From modaks to karanji, we bring you some of the traditional, easy-to-make Ganesha recipes you can try and share with your family.

Modaks (Makes about 20)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups rice flour
• Large pinch of salt
• 1 tbs oil

Method

• 2 coconuts finely grated
• 4 cups grated jaggery
• 1 tsp elaichi powder

Method

• Boil two and half cups of water add salt and oil. Slowly stir in the rice flour, mixing thoroughly to avoid any lumps.
• Cook till flour mixture becomes thick. Remove from the vessel and keep aside.
• Make a syrup with jaggery cooking it over a slow fire.
• Test its consistency, by adding a drop of jaggery into a cup containing a little water.
• When it forms a tiny ball, add the grated coconut and cook over a low flame.
• Cook until the mixture is thick. Add cardamom powder. Cook until the mixture is dry.
• Remove from fire and allow it to cool.
• Take one portion of rice dough, place it in the palm of your hand and press into a small puri with the right thumb.
• Place a small portion of the jaggery mixture in it.
• Seal the puri by making small pleated ends and close the top by pinching the pleats carefully.
• Once the modaks are stuffed and ready, steam them for about four minutes in a pressure cooker without using the whistle.
• Remove when done and arrange them in a plate or tray.

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Shrikhand

Ingredients

• 1 kg thick curd (hung)
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• a few strands kesar
• 1 tbs warm milk
• 2 tsp elaichi powder
• Slivers of pistas and badams for garnishing

Method

• Put the curd in a muslin cloth and hang it in a cool place for two to three hours.
• Dissolve the kesar in warm milk.
• Mix together the kesar, curd, sugar and elaichi powder in a bowl.
• Churn the mixture using a hand blender.
• Garnish with slivers of badams and pistas. Cool and serve as it is or with hot puris.

Courtesy Tehmina Hazary

Apple Rabri

Ingredients

• 3 apples (peeled, grated)
• 1 litre milk
• 4 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp green elaichi
• 8-10 almonds (blanched, sliced)
• 5-6 pistachios (blanched, sliced)

Method

• Pour milk in a wide bottomed vessel and bring it to boil. Simmer till it is reduced to half the original quantity.
• Add sugar and cook on low heat, stirring continuously.
• Add the grated apples to reduced milk and mix. Cook for three to four minutes.
• Add elaichi powder, badams and pistas.
• Your Apple Rabdi is ready.
• Pour it into a serving dish and serve hot or cold. 
  

Courtesy Tehmina Hazary

Sweet Kachori (Makes 16)

Ingredients

For the crust

• 250 gm plain flour
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 30 gm ghee

For the filling

• 200 gm khoya
• 50 gm milk powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, elaichi, and dalchini powder

For the syrup

• 250 gm sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 big pinch saffron
• Ghee for deep frying

Method

• Mix khoya, milk powder and other ingredients to prepare the filling.
• Take a big bowl and combine plain flour, cornflour and ghee.
• Using water, knead it to a pliable dough.
• Now cover it with a wet cloth.
• Boil sugar and water to form a syrup; add one tablespoon milk to this.
• Boil until the syrup is slightly sticky between the fingers.
• Crush and add the saffron.
• Divide the dough into 16 parts. Make 16 flat balls from the mixture.
• Roll a ball of dough into a puri and place one ball of the filling in the centre.
• Pull up all the sides of the puri to seal the mixture in, and press it in the centre.
• Make six kachoris like this.
• Heat ghee and fry the kachoris on a low flame until light brown, turning them once.
• Repeat the process for the remaining kachoris.
• When slightly cool, make a hole in the centre of each kachori (approx 0.2 cm diameter)
• Pour ½ tablespoon of syrup and turn around the kachori to let the syrup spread.
• Allow it to stand for about half an hour before serving.

Courtesy Tehmina Hazary

Karanji (Makes 20)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oil

For the filling

• 1 coconut, grated fine
• 1 tab poppy seeds , roasted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tabs mixed nuts and raisins, chopped
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• Oil for frying

Method

• Mix flour, salt and oil. Make a stiff dough. Set aside
• Make a syrup with sugar. Add coconut and cook over a low fire.
• Add roasted khus khus and cook till mixture is thick.
• Add nuts and cardamom powder.
• Remove from fire and cool.
• Take a small portion of the flour dough and place it over a plastic sheet.
• Roll it out into a small round of approx 6 cms.
• Place a small amount of coconut mixture in the middle.
• Fold the edges to make a semi circle.
• Seal the edges by pressing and pinching.
• Repeat the same with rest of the dough and filling.
• Deep fry them. When done, remove and drain the oil.
• Cool and store in an airtight tin.

Send us your favourite festive recipes. Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Festive recipes') with your name, hometown and any interesting details about the origin of the recipe, along with a photograph if possible. We'll publish the best preparations right here on rediff.com and in India Abroad.