With Ganesh Chaturthi just around the corner, artisanal modaks are in high demand.
A significant Hindu religious festival, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated across India, particularly in the state of Maharashtra. Mumbai’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are so majestic that for years the festival has been a top draw for both devotees and tourists.
Massive idols of Lord Ganesha, each of which is an artistic masterpiece, are reverently worshipped by the faithful who pray to the powerful son of Shiva and Parvati for protection, prosperity and good fortune.
At the end of the festival, the idols are taken out as elaborate processions through the city to be immersed in the sea. But, like last year, the risks because of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to restrictions on Ganesh Chaturthi processions in many states in 2021, too.
This does not mean that we cannot celebrate the festival at home while adhering to the restrictions. One way is to get the best of modaksdelivered home as an offering to Ganpati bappa, as Ganesha is lovingly called.
Modak is a specially-made sweet, believed to be Lord Ganesha’s favourite, by encasing jaggery and freshly grated coconut in a steamed rice dumpling. Ganesh Chaturthi, for many, is incomplete without this sweet delight!
Over the years, the traditional modak has undergone a facelift, thanks to patisseries and sweet shops that have infused contemporary flavours with the traditional ones. There are so many flavours today that it could get difficult to pick a favourite. In Mumbai, the quintessential flavour of traditional Marathi dishes, such as puran poli, a type of flatbread, has also been used to make artisanal modaks.