Ganesh Chaturthi is widely celebrated in Maharashtra and as the festival is arriving soon, the market will be filled with a famous sweet dish called Modak. Modak is a sweet dumpling recipe which is filled with some flavoured stuffing and it is said to be Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweet. There is a short story behind the connection between Modaks and Lord Ganesha.

It is said that the demi gods visited Shiva and Goddess Parvati and gave them a divine modak. And it was believed that the person who eats the modak will become knowledgeable in all scriptures, science, art and writing. So Goddess Parvati decided to give the modak to one of her sons, who proves the true meaning of sincerity and devotion. Lord Ganesha proved it by saying that no sacred place is equal to the devotion of parents and thus got the modak of eternal knowledge.

Therefore, the modak is famous during this festival. The outer covering of the modak is made from rice flour which is called as paari and the stuffing inside is called as saran. Usually, the traditional modaks have a filling of jaggery and coconut mixture but with the passage of time, people have developed many varieties of these modaks. From Chocolate, Dry Fruit to Savory Modaks, there are many available in the market or you can make them at home easily enough. It is generally steamed after the stuffing is filled inside but some people also make the fried version of it, to prepare crispy modaks.

Ladoos are also commonly prepared in many parts of India during this festival. While modaks have an outer layer of dough binding the ingredients within, ladoos are bounded usually with ghee, and has no distinctive outer layer. They are sweet balls of coconut, roasted flour, sugar or jaggery, dry fruits and nuts constitute ladoos. There are various versions of ladoos prepared and are savoured after the pooja being distributed as prashad.

We have lined up a few modaks & Ladoos for you, which you can make in your kitchen on this auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.