- Modak
(Sweet Steamed Dumplings)
Lord
Ganesh's favorite sweet is the Ukadee che modak. These are like
sweet steamed rice (flour) dumplings. It is customary to make
these on the very first day of this festival. They are very
delicate and tender.
The
above shape is called a "modak" shape. Many pedhas too
are shaped like this and sold at this time in many Indian sweet
stores. It does take practice to make this delicate dessert. The
inside is filled with a coconut and jaggery filling.
First
these special sweets are prepared and offered to god as "naivedya"
and then distributed as "prasad" to family and
friends.
Prepare
the filling first.
For
the filling
- 2 cup
shredded fresh coconut
1 cup jaggery or sugar
1/2 cup a mixture of unsalted pistachios and unsalted
cashews.
- 1/2 cup
Milk
- 1/2 a
pinch of cardamom powder
-
- To prepare
the filling, mix the coconut, milk & jaggery or sugar
together and cook on a medium flame. Stir continuously
until they are mixed properly. If you are using sugar the
mixture will start to caramelize and bubble. Add the
cashews and pistachios. Cook for another minute. Lastly ad
the cardamom powder. Mix well. Let it cool. Set aside.
For
the outer cover
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon salt
Boil
1 cup of water. When it has reached a steady boil, add ghee,
salt and oil. Now immediately add the rice flour and stir
quickly so as to remove all lumps. Cover with a lid for some
time. Remove the lid & stir again & again, cover again.
Note
: The dough should be neither too sticky nor too dry.
Now
remove pan from the heat. Take off all the mixture on a flat
plate. Knead it thoroughly while hot. Make a soft dough. Keep
covered aside.
- To make
the modaks
-
- It is best
to make the modaks when the dough is slightly warm.
-
- Grease the
palms of your hands well. Take a ball of dough. Flatten
the dough to form a cup shape. Place about
3/4th teaspoon coconut filling into this cup. Dip thumb
& index finger in the oil & make 5-6 small pinches
side by side on the outside edges of the cup. Bring them
together on top and join to form a peak. Your modak is
complete. This should look like a whole garlic pod. .
Place
the modak on a pre greased plate.
- Make the
rest of the modaks. Place them on a pre-greased plate.
Steam for about 15 minutes. Serve with ghee.
Moong Dal
Halwa
Ingredients:
Moong Dal - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Saffron - a generous pinch
Mawa (Khoya) - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Almonds (or any nuts) - 10-20
Instructions:
Wash and soak the moong dal for
6 hours. Grind coarsely using little water. Set aside.
Prepare one string sugar syrup by using 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2
cups of water. Keep aside.
Soak saffron in hot milk, crumble mawa (khoya) into fine
granules.
Blanch almonds in boiling water for 5 minutes. Cool and peel
them, slice them. Set aside.
Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan, add the ground moong dal
paste. Keep stirring over a low flame till the dal turns brown.
Add sugar syrup and saffron milk, stir well till they are
thoroughly incorporated and the halwa is dropping consistency.
Add mawa and cook till it dissolves.
Garnish with sliced almonds. Serve hot.
Besan
Ke Ladoo
A
rich preparation of pure ghee and gram flour rolled in dry fruits.
Ingredients
4
cups Gram Flour
1
cup Pure ghee (clarified butter)
2
cups sugar
1
tsp. Powdered Cardamom
1/2
cup chopped Almonds and Raisins
Method
1.Heat
the Ghee(clarified butter) in a pan. Add the gram flour and fry it
on
a
low flame stirring continuously till brown.
2.Once it is browned, let it cool .
3.Add powdered cardamom and sugar. Mix well. Add chopped
almonds and
raisins.
4.Shape into ladoos and serve.
Motichur
Ladoo
Ingredients:
2 cups gram flour
(besan)
2 cups clarified butter (ghee)
3/4 cups sugar
2 tbsp. almonds, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
1/4 tsp. edible saffron color
Method
1.Mix gram flour
with just enough water to make a thick batter. Add color.
2.Heat clarified butter (ghee). Through a sieve, gently place
batter drops into the hot ghee. Fry till pink and drain out.
3.Continue till all batter is used. Reserve the fried drops as
boondis.
4.Heat sugar with 3/4 cup water and make a sticky syrup of one-
thread consistency.
5.Add fried boondis, almonds,cardamom powder and mix well.
6.While still warm, shape the syrup-coated boondis into round
ladoos, and leave till dry.
Boondi
Ladoo
Sweet
round balls made of gram flour- Also Known as MOOTICHOOR LADOO
Ingredients
500
GMS besan
8
tbsp. Milk
A
pinch of baking powder
ghee
(clarified butter) for frying
1
tsp. cardamom powder
500
GMS Sugar
1/2
tsp. Saffron essence
Some
dry fruits like almonds, pistachios, cashewnuts, raisins
Method
1.Make
syrup with 4 cups of water and the sugar until the syrup thickens.
Remove and keep warm.
2.Blend together besan (gramflour) and baking powder.
3.Put in saffron essence (or saffron soaked in warm milk)
along with the milk and enough water to make a thick batter.
4.Beat it vigorously until the mixture turns smooth.
5.Keep it aside to settle so that the mixture drops easily
in the heated Ghee(clarified butter) and is not too thin.
6.Now heat enough pure Ghee(clarified butter) for deep
frying .
7.Then take a very fine sieve with holes in it and rub the
batter a little at a time through the sieve so that the mixture
fall through the holes into the hot Ghee(clarified butter).
8.The deep fried small balls comes out in the form of
boondi which is of pale golden color.
9.Drain thoroughly and put them immediately into the syrup.
10.When all the mixture is used up and the boondi is in
syrup , put in the dry fruits and cardamoms.
11.If the mixture is too dry then sprinkle a little hot
milk over it. Mix again thoroughly.
12.Grease your hands and then shape the mixture into small
ladoos.
Kaju
Barfi
Ingredients:
2 cups cashewnuts
soaked in water for 2 hours
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. Ghee
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
Silver Varak for decoration
Instructions:
Drain and blend
the cashew nuts to a fine paste. Use as little water as possible
when blending.
In a heavy saucepan put sugar and paste. Cook on a medium heat.
Keep on stirring continuously till a soft lump is formed.
Add ghee and cardamom powder and mix well. Spread on a clean
greased work surface.
Roll lightly with a rolling pin, to a desired thickness.
Apply the silver varak. Cool and cut into diamond shaped burfis.
Puran
Poli
There are three parts to making Puran Poli. Puran (The
Filling), Poli (The Covering) and Aamti
(Type of Dal).
Filling
(Puran):
Ingredients
3
cup Bengal Gram Dal
2&1/2 cup Sugar
5 grams cardamons
1 tsp ginger-dry(powder)
Salt to taste
Instructions
Wash
the Bengal-Gram-Dal in warm water and then pressure cook it
properly (water added should be double the dal).
After it is cooked, drain out the excess water by keeping it in
a strainer for about 15-20 minutes.
Now add the sugar,mix it and then grind it in a mixer.
Roast the mixture in a pan on a very slow flame for about half
an hour.
Keep stirring continuosly, otherwise the mixture could get
burnt.
When the water is dried and it becomes a thick mixture, off the
gas.
(Or if you have the special hand grinding machine for the dal,
then after the dal is pressure cooked and have drained the
excess water, mix the sugar and then roast it on the gas flame
first. Then grind it in the special hand grinding machine.)
Thus the filling is ready.
Ingredients:
Covering(Poli):
2 cup Wheat Flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
1/4 cup Oil
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Mix
the wheat and the All-Purpose-Flour.
Add to it the oil, salt and knead a soft dough.
Keep aside the dough for about 2 hours.
For making the PuranPolis:
First make even size balls of the dough.
Roll out one of the ball of about 1 inch diameter.
Then fill 1 tbsp of the filling in it and seal the rim to form a
flat ball.
Again roll out this ball gently.
Roast it on the tava (skillet) on medium flame till both sides
are done.
Repeat for rest of the balls one by one.
Serve hot with ghee and Aamti.
Aamti
(Type of Dal):
Ingredients
3/4
cup pressure cooked Bengal Gram Dal
2 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 curry leves
2-3 cardamons skin
1-2 Cloves
2-3 black Pepper seeds
1 inch Cinnamon
1/4 of the full dry Coconut
2 tbsp Coriander seeds or the seeds powder
3 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
pinch of Asafoetida
Instructions
Heat
oil in a pan.
Season it with mustard seeds, Curry-Leaves, cardamon skins,
cloves, black pepper seeds and cinnamon.
Then add the pressure cooked Bengal-Gram-Dal along with the
drained out water plus little more water.
Then add the dry coconut ( burn the coconut on a flame carefully
till black and then crush it little before adding).
Then add the coriander seeds powder (roast the coriander seeds
and then grind it coarsely).
Now add the garam masala, salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Also add 1 tbsp of the sweet filling made earlier.
Boil it for sometime on slow flame.
Serve hot with the Puran Polis.
|
