Besan Modak | Besan Laddoo Modak

By -

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase through them, helping me retain and maintain this blog.

Starting tomorrow is the auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi in many parts of India. One of the most celebrated Hindu festivals, it marks the birth anniversary of the beloved elephant-headed Hindu God, Lord Ganesha.

The excitement for this 10 days long fiesta can be seen weeks before the actual day; people begin cleaning their houses, prepare different sweets and snacks and artisans across India start carving the idols of Ganesha in different poses and sizes. On the actual day of the chaturthi, these idols are installed in elaborately decked up pandals, temples, and even individual homes accompanied with various poojas, aartis and large processions. Not to mention, the mood of ecstasy, joy and blissfulness can be felt everywhere.

Along with all the fun and frolic, what makes this festival even more special is the different kinds of sweets that are made as offering for Ganesha. The reason being, Lord Ganesha is said to be extremely fond of sweets and is often referred to as "Modak Priya" translating to "one who is immensely fond of Modaks". Well, for those who don't know what a modak is, it is a delicious sweet preparation traditionally made with rice flour, nuts and jaggery. While, the traditional version is exceedingly popular, these days there are various other varieties made using mawa (milk solids), milk and other different ingredients which are getting quite popular. And this besan laddoo modak is also one of those non-traditional varieties that I made as bhog for bappa. Very similar to besan laddoo, just shaped into a modak, I can only say, it is one of the best prashads that you can make for Ganesh ji. Do try and let me know how it turned out!


Besan Modak | Besan Laddoo Modak



INGREDIENTS






Besan Modak | Besan Laddoo Modak


FEW TIPS

  • Always roast the besan on low flame. Do not rush with this step as it may lead to uncooked besan which tastes awful. 
  • I have used turmeric in the recipe just to enhance the golden color of the modaks. It is totaly optional and can be skipped altogether.
  • Start by adding 1/2 cup of ghee to the recipe. If the besan remains dry even after 15 to 20 minutes of continuous stirring, add a tbsp or two more of it and continue with the recipe as is.
  • Do not add sugar to the hot besan; it would melt and you would not be able to shape it into laddoos/modaks. Let the cooked besan cool down to slightly warm temperature and then add the sugar.
  • I always fry my nuts a little before adding them to laddoos as it gives a nice crunch. However, you can even add them without frying.



Besan Modak | Besan Laddoo Modak





METHOD

  • Start by sifting the besan.
  • In a heavy bottomed kadhai, heat the ghee.
  • Once it is hot, add chopped nuts and fry until light golden and crisp.
  • Drain out on a kitchen towel.
  • Switch the flame to low and add in the besan along with kesar and turmeric powder.
  • Continuously stirring cook this besan on low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the besan turns aromatic and light golden in color.
  • Note that, when you add the besan in the kadhai, it will for a clump and would be hard to stir. However, as you keep stirring and moving it, it will get lighter and frothier.
  • Make sure you always keep the flame low and wait until the besan gets to the right color and starts emanating nutty aroma.
  • Once the besan is cooked, transfer it to a plate and let it cool a bit (to the temperature that you can handle with your hands).
  • Once cooled, add in the fried nuts, sugar and cardamom powder.
  • Mix nicely and grab little portions, shaping them into modaks.
  • I used a modak mould, if you don't have it, just shape them into laddoos.  
  • These modaks/laddos have a long shelf life and would stay good for 15 to 20 days at room temperature, stored in an air-tight container.




Besan Modak | Besan Laddoo Modak


Can't make now?? Pin here for later....





Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by. Your comments, suggestions and feedback are always welcome.

Regards

Popular posts from this blog

Best Homemade South Indian Sambar Recipe

By -
Image
A hearty stew made with yellow lentils, vegetables and heaps of aromatic spice powder, Sambar is a staple served with all the meals at every South Indian household. The flavorful lentil curry tempered with aromatic curry leaves, mustard seeds and whole dried red chilies makes for a delectable accompaniment whether having hot idlis , vada, dosa or even plain steamed rice. It won't be incorrect to say that while sambar is majorly known for its tongue-tickling taste, it is also packed with a lot of health benefits; toor dal lends it that much needed dosage of protein, the vegetables provide it with all the essential vitamins and minerals and lastly, addition of hing and tamarind loads it with immune-boosting properties. Having said that, every household has its own recipe of making sambar. Some like it to have thick, others a bit runny. Some like the chunkiness of vegetables whereas others like their sambar to be smooth. Some like it on a tangier side, others with just a hint
Read more

Farali Dhokla - Navratri Special [No Eno Fruit Salt] | Vrat ka Dhokla | Barnyard Millet Savory Steamed Cake

By -
Image
Recently my husband travelled to Ahmedabad and while returning brought a 3-in-1 dhokla/idli/patra steamer for me. Since then, I am always in lookout for opportunities to use this versatile steamer. Well! in the past 15 - 20 days I have already tried my hands making the instant KHAMAN DHOKLA and the 3 GRAIN DHOKLA , both of which were a big hit on my blog. It was now time again to experiment something new; and because we all are observing the Navratri fasts , there was no choice but to come up with a farali dhokla . A few days back, I was just scrolling through various blogs to find a dhokla recipe for the vrat (fasting) but each one listed a recipe that called for use of either eno or baking soda. Since I did not want to incorporate any of these ingredients in my fasting recipe, I thought of  going the old-fashioned way i.e. fermenting the batter overnight so that it gets a natural rise while steaming. And to my utter surprise, it actually worked. I got a nice spongy and fluffy
Read more

Almond Toffee Rolls | Caramel Badam Rolls | Butterscotch Almond Rolls | Diwali Sweet Recipe

By -
Image
Made with ground almond paste, flavored with caramel sauce, some butterscotch essence and crushed almond praline which provides it with that amazing crunch, these Almond Toffee Rolls are an absolute delight and something that you are definitely gonna relish this Diwali.  Now, some of you may ask, why the name "Toffee"? Well, that's because the caramel sauce and the butterscotch lends it a beautiful caramel toffee flavor...and was named so by my husband because when he tasted it, his first words were like "oh..it tastes like a toffee"...so initially I was about to name them as caramel almond rolls or butterscotch almond rolls but this "toffee" thing actually changed my mind and I named this beautiful sweet as Almond Toffee Rolls. They are very easy to make and require just a few pantry ingredients. So, if you are planning to make something unique for this festive season, do try them out. I am sure you are gonna love them. Let me tell you, they also
Read more

Farali Dahi ke Kebab | Vrat ke Dahi Kebab | Navratri Recipes

By -
Image
So soft, delectable and absolutely melt in mouth, Dahi ke Kebab are one of the most loved and popular vegetarian appetizers served in almost every North Indian restaurant. While, authentically these kebabs either have besan (gram flour) or bread crumbs for the binding, however, when craving for these kebabs during fasting, you can't have them because of them having these grains. So, just so that I could enjoy these heavenly goodies in fasting too, I tried creating a farali version of them by adding makhana (foxnut) and sabudana flours instead of besan or bread crumbs for the binding. Trust me, they came out absolutely mindblowing and super tasty. If you too are someone who likes to fast and enjoy the delectable stuff at the same time, then this recipe is absolutely a must try.....  Farali Dahi ke Kebab | Vrat ke Dahi Kebab | Navratri Recipes INGREDIENTS Hung Curd -  1 Cup Grated Paneer - 1/4 cup Sendha Namak - as per taste Kala Namak - as per taste Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp F
Read more

Instant Moong Dal Idli Recipe | How to Make Instant Moong Dal Idli

By -
Image
Idli is one of the healthiest Indian breakfast options by far. These soft, pillowy and melt-in-mouth lentil cakes are traditionally made by fermenting rice and urad dal batter overnight; however, the entire process could be quite cumbersome and involves a little amount of planning ahead. Therefore, instant versions of idlis come very handy when you want to have something quick and yet wholesome and healthy in the breakfast . And especially when it comes to me, I am a big fan of instant recipes, be it instant sprouted moong dal dosa , instant rava & oats idli or instant dhokla , you would find me making these items very frequently as they are not only very quick to make and save you a hell lot of time in the kitchen but, at the same time are quite tasty as well as wholesome. Moong Dal Idli Recipe | How to Make Moong Dal Idli Talking about the instant moong dal idli , as I said it is a very quick and easy recipe and doesn't require an
Read more

Burani Raita Recipe | Spiced, Garlic Flavored Yogurt

By -
Image
Burani Raita is a famous Indian accompaniment to spicy biryanis and pulaos. A Hyderabadi specialty, it uses some thick yogurt that is mixed with few pounded cloves of garlic and some basic spice powders like red chili and roasted cumin, which lend it that much-needed hint of spicy kick. Not to mention, when it comes to making the Burani Raita, it is no more than a five minutes process and makes for an ideal side dish to go along with any kind of rice preparation or even chapati & sabzi combination. Ideally, this utterly flavorful and aromatic raita only has to it, some pounded raw garlic, however, I have given it a slight twist by topping it with some fried garlic bits and some red chili oil for extra flavoring. This step is totally optional and you can skip it altogether by sticking to the traditional way of making it. So, not wasting any time further, lets move on to the recipe.... Burani Raita Recipe | Garlic Flavored Spiced Yogurt INGREDIENTS Thick y
Read more

Gujarati Sweet Sata | Thor [BAKED VERSION]

By -
Image
Festivities like Ganesh Chaturthi , Dussehra and Diwali are just around the corner. For me, this is the most awaited time of the year with decked up markets, a little chill in the air and happiness all around, emanating an aura of positivity and elation in each and every heart. This is also the time when I gear up for the celebrations indulging in shopping, decorating the house and offcourse preparing some traditional sweets and savories at home for all my friends and family. While last year, I made this melt-in-mouth kalakand , vanilla sandesh with strawberry dust and Punjabi style meethi mathri , this time I am planning to go ahead and make this popular sweet from the state of Gujarat: the sweet sata also called as thor . Traditionally, sata is a deep fried pastry, but just to keep the calorie count low this festive season , I decided to go a healthy way and instead of frying, opted to bake them. Trust me, they came out as flaky, crispy and delectable. If you are also looki
Read more