Ganesh chaturthi recipes – A collection of 5 delicious modak & ladoo varieties you can make for ganesh chaturthi. Ganesh chaturthi is a Hindu festival dedicated to celebrate the birth of Lord Ganesha, the son of God Shiva & Goddess Parvathi. This year ganesh chaturthi is celebrated on August 22nd.
It is believed that Lord Ganesha is the god of wisdom & the remover of obstacles. Ganesh chaturthi is celebrated with much devotion in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra pradesh, Telangana & Tamil nadu.
It is customary to offer various kinds of foods known as prasad or prasadam to the Lord on Ganesh chaturthi. Later these offerings are distributed among family, friends and community.
Modak & Ladoos are said to be Lord Ganesha’s favorite. So different kinds of modaks & ladoos are prepared and offered to the Lord.
In this post I have shared 5 different kinds of stuffings for modak & some of them can also be just made to ladoos.
You can check more Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes here
Step-by-step photos
Preparation for peanut modak
1. Dry roast peanuts until golden and aromatic. The peanuts must be slightly golden when you remove the skin.
2. Cool them completely and remove the skin. More details in recipe card.
3. Add them to a blender jar.
4. Make a coarse powder. Some split ones are okay. If you think your peanuts are not roasted well you can roast this crushed ones for few mins.
5. Add jaggery to a pan along with 3 to 4 tbsp water.
6. Just melt it completely. Do not boil now.
7. I filtered it to another pot since I used unrefined jaggery.
8. I rinsed the pan and poured it back to the pan. It will begin to bubble very soon, then add cardamom powder.
9. When it is bubbling well, then add the peanut powder. Mix well.
10. I added dried coconut as it tastes better than the fresh one. It is optional.
11. When the mixture turns thick and leaves the sides turn off.
12. When the temperature comes down, you can roll to small balls or use it as it is. We prefer the dry stuffing as it gets moist and not sticky after steaming.
Making modak dough
13. Bring water to a boil. Add ghee and a pinch of salt.
14. When the water begins to boil rapidly, I turned off the stove and added the rice flour.
15. Mixed it well.It looks crumbly just ignore and keep it covered.
16. When it comes down to warm temperature begin to knead with well to make a smooth dough. I used about 3 tbsps water to knead the dough. This may differ depending on the rice flour.
17. Divide it to 11 balls. Keep them covered.
Shaping peanut modak without mould
18. Dip your fingers in water or grease your fingers and make a dent in the center of the ball. With the help of thumb and forefingers begin to spread the dough to a thin puri. You can moisten your fingers as often as needed to avoid or join the cracks.
19. I made 5 inch puri. Placed the peanut ball.
20. Brought all the edges together like we do for paratha and stuck them.
21. I just shaped it like modak. Pinched off little dough on the sides to give a better look.
Peanut modak with mould
22. Grease you mould with ghee. Put a ball of dough inside keeping little aside to close the opening.
23. Press the dough against the sides and make space for the filling.
24. Put the filling inside.
25. Seal the opening. Remove from the mould and keep covered.
Steaming peanut modak
26. Place a moist cloth on a steamer bowl or plate. Alternately you can grease the bowl. Place the peanut modak on the cloth and steam them in a steamer or cooker for 8 to 10 mins on a high flame. More details on steaming in the recipe card above.
Offer peanut modak to Ganesha and enjoy them.
Here is the Traditional Modak Recipe
More similar recipes here:
Sesame modak
Rava modak
Dry fruits modak
Chocolate modak
Fried modak
Recipe
Peanut modak
Ganesh chaturthi recipes – 5 modak & ladoo varieties
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
For the outer covering
Option 1 – Coconut jaggery stuffing or ladoos
- 2 cups grated fresh coconut
- 1 cup jaggery grated or powdered
- 1 tsp ghee
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
Option 2 – Peanut mixture for stuffing or ladoos
- 1 cup peanuts
- ¾ cup jaggery grated
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 3 to 4 tbsp water
- ¼ cup coconut (optional) (I used copra)
Option 3 – chana dal stuffing
- ½ cup chana dal
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup jaggery powdered or grated
Option 4 – Sesame stuffing or ladoos
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup grated jaggery
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
Option 5 – Dry fruits stuffing or ladoos
- ¼ cup cashews
- ¼ cup almonds
- ¼ cup pistachios or walnuts
- 10 dates
- 8 apricots or replace with some dates
- 3 to 5 dried figs or anjeer
Instructions
Option 1 – Coconut jaggery stuffing or ladoos
- Heat ghee in a pan and add coconut and jaggery.
- Cook stirring often – jaggery melts and the entire mixture turns gooey.
- Continue to cook until the mixture turns thick and all the moisture evaporates.
- Add cardamom powder and cool this.
- Either use this as stuffing or make ladoos and then roll them in dried coconut for garnish.
Option 2 – Peanut mixture for stuffing or ladoos
- Dry roast peanuts on a medium flame until golden & begin to smell good. Cool them and remove the skin.
- Coarsely crush them in a mixer.
- Then add jaggery & cardamom powder. Then blend just until mixed. Use this as filling or make ladoos
Option 3 – chana dal stuffing
- Cook chana dal in water until just cooked without making them mushy.
- Drain the excess water and mash or blend the dal to get a smooth or slightly coarse texture.
- If you want to make hayagreeva with this, then do not blend or mash it.
- Add jaggery and cook until the mixture turns gooey and then turns thick.
- When done the entire mixture turns to a mass. Add cardamom powder and mix.
- Use this as a stuffing.
- Or make hayagreeva by heating 2 to 3 tbsps of ghee and fry 10 cashews and 10 raisins.
- Transfer the prepared chana dal sweet to the ghee and turn off.
Option 4 – Sesame mixture for stuffing or ladoos
- Toast the sesame seeds on a low heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Do not over roast as they may turn bitter.
- Cool them and add to a blender along with cardamom powder. Make a fine powder.
- Then add jaggery and blend until all the ingredients blend well.
- To make the ladoos blend until the mixture begins to release oil.
- Use it as a stuffing to make modak or kozhukattai. Or make ladoos.
Option 5 – Dry fruits stuffing or ladoos
- Chop and toast the nuts & dry fruits one after the other until warm.
- Cool and add the nuts to a blender. Make a coarse powder.
- Then add the dry fruits and blend until well mixed.
- Use this as a stuffing to make modak, kudumulu or kozhukattai. You can also simply roll small portions of this to balls.
Making outer covering
- Heat water in a pan. Add 1 tsp ghee and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil.
- Next add the rice flour and turn off the stove. Mix well to make a crumbly dough. Cover and set aside until the temperature comes down.
- When the mixture is warm begin to knead and make a smooth dough. You can dip your fingers in water and knead if it is crumbly. You can use up to 3 to 4 tbsps.
- Divide the dough to 11 parts. Roll to smooth balls. Keep them covered.
- Make a dent in the center of the ball with your thumb. Moisten your fingers and begin to spread the dough with your fingers to make a even thin puri. The edges may crack it is common, just dip your fingers in water and join the cracks.
- Place the prepared stuffing mixture in the center and bring the edges together making little pleats like we make for a paratha. They may break just stick them back.
- Join all the edges & seal. From the center pinch little dough slightly to give a modak shape. You can also pinch off a bit of the dough on the sides to give a nice look.
- Alternately you can grease a modak mould and press down the rice flour dough first and make space in the center. Put the peanut mixture. Seal the bottom with more dough.
- Keep the modaks covered with a moist cloth.
Steaming
- Bring 2 cups water to a rolling boil in a cooker or steamer.
- Place all the modaks in a greased steamer bowl or plate. You can also line the plate with a moist cloth and place the modaks on it.
- Steam just for 8 to 10 mins on a high flame.
- Cool them and offer to the Lord Ganesha for ganesh chaturthi pooja.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
Notes
- If you do not have rice flour, then soak 1.5 cups raw rice in a large pot for 2 to 3 hours. Drain the water and spread the rice on a clean cloth.
- When the rice is slightly moist, then add them to a blender jar and make a fine powder. Sieve the flour using a fine flour sieve plate and grind the coarse grains again. Repeat the sieve.
- Fresh made flour will need less water as it is moist, you can use 1 cup water for the above recipe. Then if needed add more while kneading.
- This flour will be slightly moist. If you wish to use it the next few days, then transfer to a large plate and allow to air dry for few hours. Then refrigerate.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Raj says
Always wanted simple recipe for Modak, you have simplified this for an apprentice to prepare excellent product. Thanks a million.
swasthi says
You are welcome!
Gayu says
The name says 5 but recipe has only 3. Anyways love your recipes always. Will be making your modak
swasthi says
Hi Gayu,
Thanks for the mention I forgot to update. I will do it. Hope you enjoy the modaks. Wish you happy Ganesh chaturthi.
Padma says
Yummy! I will be trying this tommorrow. Thank you so much. Modaks look wonderful.
swasthi says
Welcome Padma