Fried Modak.......Ganesh Puja Special

The festive season has started in India and there's celebration in the air. It started with Raksha Bandhan and now it's time for Ganeshutsav. According to mythological stories Lord Ganesha is worshiped before everyone and it was on this day that Lord Shiva had pronounced his son superior to all the gods and godesses except Lord Shiva himself, Goddess Parvati, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.  

India is celebrating Ganesh Puja this week in full swing and only few days left for the festivities to culminate. But if you want to get the best feeling of this festival you must visit state of Maharashtra as it is celebrated in most of the households and every nooks and corners of the state.

For my Non-Indian readers I would like to throw some light on this festival. Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayak Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrated in the honour of Lord Ganesha. The festivities last for 10 days. The idol is worshiped for 10 days and then immersed in water with a hope that Lord Ganesha will shower his blessings on them and their families for all year long.

Keeping all the traditions and cultures apart there's one more thing associated with Lord Ganesha and i.e. he is considered to be a great foodie. During this festival various offerings are made to Lord Ganesha as Prasadam (Holy food) but amongst all Modak is his favorite. He is also known as "Modakapriya".

Modak is a sweet dumpling and very popular in Western and Southern India. As India is a very diversified country, here every region and religion has its own recipe. The one I'm sharing today is from Maharashtra. As I had spent most of my childhood in Maharashtra so this festival and festivities is very close to my heart.

With no further delay, let me share the recipe of Modak with you:

Ingredients:

1. All purpose Flour: 1 and 1/2 cup

2. Oil: 1/4 cup

3. Water for kneading

4. Chana Daal (Bengal Gram): 2 cups

5. Ghee (clarified butter): 1/2 cup

6. Sugar: 2 cups

7. Cardamom Powder: 1 tbsp

 Method:

1. Wash and soak the daal in enough water for 7-8 hours.

2. Boil the daal in pressure cooker with enough water. The daal should have a paste kind of consistency.

3. Place a heavy bottomed pan on medium-high heat and add ghee. As the ghee melts add daal into pan and fry it until the mixture gets dry or there is no moisture left.You can check it by taking small amount of mixture in your hand and try to form a round ball. If you are able to do so then the mixture is perfect. Once done remove pan from heat and allow the mixture to cool down.

4. In a separate bowl take all purpose flour, oil and mix well with your fingertips. The oil should be well incorporated in the flour. 

5. Add water little by little and knead the dough well with your hands.

6. Keep kneading until the dough leaves sides of the bowl. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it sit in a warm place for at least 20-30 mins.

7. Now take the dough and divide it into small balls. Roll out these balls into small puris with the help of your rolling pin.

8. Now take small amount of daal filling and insert into puri. Now pinch or form pleats in the puri as shown in the figure. Bring all the pleats together to form shape of a modak. Seal the edges properly. 

9. Heat oil in a pan on low-medium heat and deep fry the modak until golden brown. Take them out in a plate lined with paper towel to soak the excess oil.

10. Serve these modaks to Lord Ganesha and then as prasadam.

Note:

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If you want the recipe in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu (or any other language) click on the Google Translate button on the left side.