New Delhi [India]: The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is just around the corner, and surely amidst the enthusiasm and excitement to bring Lord Ganesha home, you haven't forgotten about the most important thing-- bhog prasad!
Ganesh Chaturthi, which is celebrated for a period of 10 days, starts on the fourth day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month Bhadrapada. It will begin on September 10 this year and conclude on September 21.
With decorations and exquisite pandals taking the front seat, it is the scrumptious food that you cannot miss out on.
We all know that the 'Bappa' is fond of delectable sweets, and to please him devotees prepare a variety of lip-smacking delicacies.
The dishes prepared during this 10-day long extravaganza vary from one region to another. Here are some of the bhog recipes to offer the benevolent God.
1. Modak: There is a reason why lord Ganapati is also caked as 'Modakpriya'. According to the Hindu belief, Modak- a sweet dumpling dish prepared from flour, jaggery, and coconut is one of the favourite dishes of Lord Ganesha. Devotees prepare a variety of modaks including chocolate, kesar, kaju, motichoor, and khoya modak, to offer the elephant-headed God as bhog.
2. Puran Poli: This utterly delicious dish is enough to satisfy your taste buds! Puran Poli is amongst the major bhog dish offered to Bappa during Ganesh Chaturthi. This is a sweet flatbread made with chana dal with the stuffing of jaggery, coconut, cardamom, and butter or ghee.
3. Shrikhand: Get your hunger pangs sorted in the most delectable way with this sweet dish prepared from lactic fermented curd and crushed dried fruits. The dish is usually prepared with saffron and cardamom flavour and served with a topping of almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, Pistachio, and other dry fruits.
4. Motichur laddoo: A mere glimpse of this orange-coloured soft dish can be profoundly soothing to the eyes and soul. We all know how much Bappa loves laddoo as we always see him holding one in his hand! Motichur ladoo is prepared mainly with gram flour, sugar, and spices. The batter made with gram flour is first fried to make tiny balls or 'boondi' and mixed with sugar syrup, nuts, or seeds and later shaped into balls.
5. Gujiya: Also known as Karanji, the heavenly bite of this appetizing dish is enough to satisfy the taste buds of people who have a sweet tooth. Served hot, these are the deep-fried dumplings prepared with maida, or suji with the stuffing of meva- crushed dried fruits, jaggery, and khoya.
Lord Ganesha indeed loves sweets but the most precious to him are his devotees, who with love and zeal welcome him home to worship him on the special occasion.
