Quick Dry Fruits Coconut Modak

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to everyone. 

May Lord Ganesh bless you abundantly with good fortune, wisdom, prosperity and wealth throughout your life.

Quick dry fruits modak. Modak is sweet dumpling popular in Maharashtra. Its offered to Lord Ganesha as prasad or naivedya during Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ganesh chaturthi is a very auspicious day celebrated to pray to the Lord Ganesha so that every activities that is started is completed without any obstacles. 

Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day Hindu festival celebrated to honour the elephant-headed God Ganesha’s birthday. He is the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Ganesha is the Lord of arts and sciences. And the God of wisdom. He is known by 108 names. Mostly he is known as Vinayaka, Ganapati and vighnaharta.

There are two different versions about Ganesha’s birth. One has it that Goddess Parvati created Ganesha out of dirt off her body while having a bath and set him to guard her door while she finishes her bath. Shiva who has gone out, returned at that time, but as Ganesha didn’t know of him, stopped him from entering. An angry Shiva severed the head of Ganesha after a combat between the two. Parvati was enraged and Shiva promised Ganesha will live again. The devas who went in search of a head facing north of a dead person could manage only the head of an elephant. Shiva fixed the elephant’s head on the child and brought him back to life.

The other legend has it that Ganesha was created by Shiva and Parvati on request of the Devas, to be a vighnakartaa (obstacle-creator) in the path of rakshasas (demonic beings), and a vighnahartaa (obstacle-averter) to help the Devas.

Source – http://bit.ly/2bRjmaH

Dry fruits modak. You can make it in 5 minutes if you have the ingredients ready. Very easy, quick and yummy sweet. Try out this modak shaped delicious sweet for the festival. I have made it in small quantity so I have used 1/2 cup dry fruits but you can use 1 cup of mixed dry fruits. Use whatever dry fruits you have. I have used cashew nuts, almonds and raisins.

Recipe 

Mix dry fruits – 1/2 cup to 1 cup coarse powered 

Mawa or dried milk – 1/2 cup 

Sugar – 1 & 1/2 tablespoon 

Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon 

Shredded coconut – 1/2 cup to 1 cup
 

Method 

Grind the dry fruits. Don’t make fine powder, make coarse powder. I have used cashew nuts, almonds and raisins, you can use any dry fruits of your choice. Keep aside.

Mix shredded coconut, mawa/khoya or dried milk and sugar. Grind them into a smooth paste. Take it out. Add cardamom powder and dry fruits. Mix well.
 

If you don’t have mawa/khoya or dried milk you can use milkmaid or milk powder too. Knead the coconut and dry fruits with milkmaid. Or add milk powder and knead with milk. If you are using milkmaid or milk powder omit the sugar.

You can increase the amount of shredded coconut and dry fruits both. Mix all the ingredients well. If you feel its little loose and difficult to hold shape, keep the mixture in refrigerator for 1/2 an hour. 

Now make the shape of modak. I didn’t have a mould but if you have, use it to get a perfect shape. You can make it in any shape of your choice. Easy isn’t it  🙂

Enjoy the quick and yummy modak with your family and friends.

Happy cooking !!