Sweeten Your Celebrations: Discover the top 5 Sweets for Ganesh Chaturthi

The beginning of September ushers in the holy celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi, even though the festival is at the end of the first week.

This vibrant and joyous festival marks the birth of Lord Ganesh, the deity revered as the remover of obstacles and marking new beginnings. Different parts of the country, but primarily Maharashtra, celebrate this occasion with devotees taking to the streets, singing, dancing, praying and serving a huge assortment of sweets and savories.

One of the central practices of this festival is to prepare sweet offerings to Lord Ganesha, a tradition that symbolizes auspiciousness, prosperity and truly a sugar-laden beginning sanctioned by the deity.

Every household prepares a variety of traditional sweets – their recipes passed on from one generation to another – that are crafted with skill and care, and in fact, allow people to sit together and partake in this fun traditional family activity, bringing people of all age groups together in celebration and sharing.

Before the preparations for the festival kick off in full swing, allow us to bring you a delightful selection of delicious sweets, each holding a special significance.

These are the perfect sweets for Ganesh Chaturthi, from the signature chewy Ganesh Chaturthi Modak, to melt-in-the-mouth Besan Ladoos.

The Ganesh Chaturthi Modak has a delicate rice flour shell with a sweet coconut-jaggery filling and is said to be the deity’s favourite. On the other hand, the rich Puran Poli and the fragrant Rava Kesari are staple sweets that bring warmth and comfort.

Here are some of the finest and most delectable Ganesh Chaturthi sweets that you should be making this festive season:

1. Ganesh Chaturthi Modak:

Ingredients:

• 120 gm rice flour
• 200 ml cup water
• 1 tsp ghee
• ¼ tsp salt
• 180 gm grated coconut
• 145 gm jaggery
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

Method:

1. To prepare the filling, heat a pan and add a cup of grated coconut, then add the jaggery, and stir them together until the mixture thickens. Follow it up by adding cardamom powder.
2. To prepare the dough, boil a cup of water with a pinch of salt.
3. Add the rice flour gradually while stirring continuously to avoid any lumps.
4. Once it’s all come together, cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
5. Grease your hands with ghee and knead the dough until smooth.
6. Take a small portion of your dough, shape it into a ball, and flatten it to form a cup.
7. Place a spoonful of filling inside and shape it into a modak by pinching the edges together.
8. Place the modaks in a steamer for 10-15 minutes until they are cooked.

2. Puran Poli:

Ingredients:

• 180 gm chana dal
• 175 gm jaggery
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 340 gm wheat flour
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ¼ tsp salt

Method:

1. Cook the chana dal until it is soft, and drain the water.
2. Mash the dal up and mix it with jaggery in a pan. Cook it until it thickens.
3. Add cardamom powder and let it cool.
4. Mix wheat flour, turmeric powder, ghee and salt. Then add water to it and keep stirring so that it gradually forms a soft dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. To shape and cook the Puran Poli, divide the dough into balls. Roll out each ball into a small circle.
6. Place a ball of filling in the center, fold the dough over, and roll it out gently into a flatbread.
7. Cook on a hot griddle with ghee until golden brown.

3.Coconut Ladoo:

Ingredients:

• 160 gm grated coconut
• 320 ml condensed milk
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the grated coconut.
2. Saute for a few minutes until the coconut is slightly toasted.
3. Add in a cup of condensed milk and cardamom powder. Mix well and cook until the mixture thickens.
4. Let the mixture cool slightly, while you grease your hands with ghee.
5. Take small portions of the mixture and shape them into small balls (ladoos).
6. Roll the ladoos in extra grated coconut or chopped nuts if you want your ladoos to be extra indulgent or crunchy.

4. Rava Kesari

Ingredients:

• 170 gm rava (semolina)
• 200 gm sugar
• 480 ml water
• 55 gm ghee
• 60 gm chopped nuts (cashews, almonds)
• 30 gm raisins
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• A pinch of saffron (optional)

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and roast the rava until it turns golden brown.
2. In another pan, boil water. To this pan, add the roasted rava slowly while stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
3. Add sugar and a pinch of saffron. Mix well and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens.
4. If you want to enhance the flavor even more, add the chopped nuts, raisins, and cardamom powder. Mix well.
5. Cook for a few more minutes until the ghee separates from the mixture. Serve hot.

5. Besan Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 280 gm besan (gram flour)
• 200 gm powdered sugar
• 120 ml ghee
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts (optional)

Method:

1. To prepare the besan mixture, heat ghee in a pan and add in the besan. Roast the besan on low heat, stirring continuously, until it turns golden brown and aromatic.
2. Add in the sugar and keep stirring so that it completely melts into the besan mix.
3. Once the mix is ready, let it cool down to room temperature before you move onto shaping them.
4. Grease your hands with ghee and shape the mixture into small balls. Add chopped nuts to each ladoo if you want.