INDIA GUIDE
TRAVEL DESK
EVENTS
AIRLINES
SEARCH

Vimla Patil

Special dishes prepared and served on Ganesh Chaturthi day:

Ukadiche Modak

Makes 20

Ingredients

• 2½ cups rice flour
• 1 tsp oil
• a big pinch of salt
• 2 coconuts, grated finely
• 4 cups grated jaggery
• 1 tsp cardamom powder

Method

Boil 2 ½ cups of water. Add salt, oil and slowly stir in the rice flour so that no lumps are left. Cook, stirring constantly, till the dough turns thick. Take off the stove and put aside.

Heat jaggery in 2 cups of water to make a thick syrup. Test its consistency by dropping a teaspoon in cold water. It should remain firm. When this consistency is reached, add the grated coconut and cook on a low flame, stirring till the mixture is thick. Add cardamom powder. Cook till the mixture is almost dry. Cool.

Divide the rice dough in 20 equal portions. Take one portion in the centre of your oiled palm and flatten with the thumb of the other hand, to form a round disc about the size of your palm. Place a small portion of the jaggery-coconut mixture in the centre of the disc. Lift the edges of the disc and, by making small pleats, cover the mixture from all sides. Close the top of this modak by pressing the ends of the pleats carefully together. Make all the 20 raw modaks in this fashion.

Fill the pressure cooker with a little water. Place the raw modaks carefully on a piece of muslin on a perforated plate above the water level without breaking them. Steam in batches without putting the weight on the lid of the cooker.

Serve hot with a spoon of melted clarified butter or ghee poured over each modak.

Rawa Laddu

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups semolina or rawa
• 1½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup ghee
• 1 tbsp broken cashew nuts, fried,
• 1 tbsp raisins, fried
• 1 tsp cardamom powder

Method

Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan and dry roast the rawa till pink.

Grind the fried rawa in a mixer or blender to a fine powder. Add powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar and switch on the mixer once more to mix the two.

Heat the remaining ghee and add the powdered rawa and sugar, cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix thoroughly.

While still warm, make into small lemon-sized balls.

Cool and store in an airtight container.

Rice Puris

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 cups rice flour
• oil for deep frying
• salt to taste

Method

Mix the flour and salt. And knead with enough water to make a stiff dough. Make small balls and pat into 8 cms puris on a plastic sheet or banana leaf.

Heat oil in a deep pan and fry each puri on both sides till puffed and golden. Drain and remove. Continue till all puris are made.

Serve fresh with any vegetable.

Rishi Panchami Sabji

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 10 green chillies
• 2 coconuts, grated, ground to a paste
• ½ kg vegetables -- green peas, potatoes, green beans, green leafy vegetables of the season, fresh peanuts, corn cobs, colocasia leaves, raw bananas, yam -- cut into medium-sized pieces after peeling or chopping, as needed
• ¼ cup oil
• salt to taste

Method

Wash vegetables and drain. Put aside.

Heat oil in a large pressure cooker. Fry chillies and then add all vegetables. Add enough water and cook till almost done. Add coconut and blend.

Serve with rice or puris.

Vimla Patil is a master cook and the author of several books. She was the editor of Femina.

Back