Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner and very soon the whole country will echo “Ganpati Bappa Morya” slogans. Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is yet another festival celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm in the country. During this 10-day-long festival, devotees bring Lord Ganesha to their homes and worship the deity. On the last day, the devotees bid adieu to the Bappa and immerse his idol in water bodies. This festival is an amalgamation of celebration, happiness, togetherness and of course, yummy food.
Among many rituals and customs followed during the festival, one revolves around offering modaks to Lord Ganesha as this sweet is considered his favourite. Modak is an essential part of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and is special for many reasons. And you know what? It is not just you or me but Shraddha Kapoor too who loves Modak and Ganesh Chaturthi. Known for her versatile acting and bubby nature, Shraddha Kapoor recently took to Instagram and shared a post while eating modak. Here is the post.
Image credits: Instagram/shraddhakapoor
In the picture, we can see a modak and the caption says, “Early Bird Catches The Moda” #Ganesh ChaturthiComingSoon#. Yes, we agree that no Ganesh Chaturthi celebration is complete without modak but have you ever wondered why? There is a mythological tale behind this. If some legends are to be believed, Lord Shiva had once visited Anusuya along with Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha. Anusuya served Lord Ganesha first and said that she would serve Lord Shiva only once Ganpati’s hunger had been satisfied.
She served him a single piece of sweet and Lord Ganesha gave a sign of fullness with a loud burp. When Lord Ganesh burped, Lord Shiva also burped but 21 times. Goddess Parvati was curious to know what this sweet was that was served to Ganesha. She soon realized that it was a modak, which she later expressed as her wish to be served to Lord Ganesha by the devotees. Since modak plays a crucial role in the festival, let us take you through five scrumptious modak varieties that you can make this Ganesh Chaturthi.
Ukadiche Modak
This is the classic and traditional steamed modak made with a rice flour dough filled with a mixture of grated coconut and jaggery. Flavoured with cardamom and often garnished with saffron strands, this modak is served with ghee.
Fried Modak
This modak variety is made by deep-frying wheat flour or all-purpose flour dough filled with various sweet fillings, such as sugar, jaggery and nuts. This modak has a crispy outer shell and is very delicious.
Chocolate Modak
This is a modern twist of modak and is made by mixing cocoa powder or melted chocolate with the traditional coconut and jaggery filling. This modak does an explosion of flavours in the mouth.
Mawa Modak
Mawa or khoya modak is made using khoya cooked with sugar and flavoured with cardamom or saffron. It has a creamy and decadent taste.
Dry Fruit Modak
Dry fruit modaks, as their name suggests, have a mixture of finely chopped or ground dry fruits like cashews, almonds, pistachios and more flavoured with sugar or condensed milk. They offer a rich and nutty flavour and are a must-try.