Ganesh Chaturthi 2022: Why modak is an important part of the celebration (plus a special recipe)

The much-awaited, 10-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festivities will kickstart on August 31 this year, and it needs no retelling that it is incomplete without ‘modak’, a sweet dish that is said to be Lord Ganesh’s favourite.
According to Pandit Jagannath Guruji, a celebrated astrologer, there is a mythological significance to the auspicious sweet. He explained the concept behind ’21 modaks’ that are served to the Lord on the auspicious occasion, stating that once when Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesh visited Anusuya, the wife of sage Atri, at their home in a forest, Shiva and Ganesh were hungry.
“Lord Shiva was made to wait Anusuya until Lord Ganesh’s hunger was satiated. This angered him, but he waited while Ganesh was fed with all kinds of delicacies. The latter, being a big foodie, ate everything and kept asking for more. Anusuya realised she may not be able to satisfy him with regular recipes, but that something sweet may help fill his tummy,” the astrologer explained.
Buy Now | Our best subscription plan now has a special price
So, when a piece of sweet was offered to Ganesh and he burped after eating it, Lord Shiva burped 21 times. Interestingly, both of them were simultaneously satiated.
“Goddess Parvati then enquired about the sweet, and found it to be the famous modak. She expressed her desire that those who worship Ganesh must offer 21 modaks to him hereafter. The practice became popular here on Earth and on every Ganesh Chaturthi, people make different kinds of modaks,” explained Guruji.
From chocolate to paan, sweet shops offer a range of modak flavours during this time of the year. However, traditionally, modaks have been made with rice flour covering stuffed with coconut and jaggery, a type popularly known as ‘Ukadiche Modak’.
“Also, traditionally, moulds were not used to shape modaks and were always shaped with hands,” wrote MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria as she shared the recipe for Ukadiche Modak on her YouTube channel.

Ukadiche modak recipe
Ingredients
For the outer covering of modak
*1 ½ cups water*1 teaspoon ghee*¼ teaspoon salt
For Filling
*1 cup fresh grated coconut*1 grated jaggery*1 teaspoon cardamom powder*¼ tsp nutmeg powder*1 tsp poppy seeds*1 teaspoon ghee

Method
*Heat ghee in a pan and add poppy seeds.*Then add fresh coconut (grated) and jaggery. Mix well and cook the coconut-jaggery mixture on a low flame for 7 to 9 minutes till the moure from the jaggery begins to dry.*Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder and grated nutmeg.*Keep the filling aside to cool.
Rice flour dough
*In a pan add water, oil, or ghee, and salt and bring it to a boil.*Reduce the flame and add the rice flour gradually. Quickly stir and mix the flour with the water. Stir till all the rice flour is mixed with the water.*Switch off the flame. Cover and set it aside for 10 minutes.*Now, take the dough on a large plate and knead till it becomes smooth.*If you feel the dough looks dense or hard or dry, then just add a few teaspoons of warm water and continue to knead.

*Make small balls from the dough. Roll the balls till smooth in your palms.*Take a ball and flatten it with your fingers to a round disc or a shallow bowl shape. You can apply ghee or oil to your palms while flattening. Place the sweet filling in the center.*Now, press the edges. Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough from the top, if any. Shape and taper the top of the modak with your fingers.*Grease the steamer with a bit of ghee or oil.*Place the modak in the greased pan with some space between them.*The water should be hot or boiling when you place the modak in the streamer. Cover the pan and steam modak for 10 to 15 minutes on a medium-low flame.*Once the Ukadiche modaks are steamed, drizzle a little saffron milk. Modaks are ready!
How do you celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at home? Do you have a different way of making modaks as a part of your family recipe?
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!