Pandal Hopping This Ganesh Chaturthi? 10

Ganapati Prasad

Offerings To Watch Out For

Ganesh Chaturthi, one of the most joyous Hindu festivals, celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. The festival, with its many rituals and celebrations, is celebrated across India and in other countries, though it is most famous and grand in Maharashtra. Here, pandals (temporary, makeshift tents) are set up, with the most famous and grand Ganesh pandals being Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai and Shrimant Dagdusheth in Halwai Ganpati, Pune. However, themed pandals crop up across cities and states, offering a wide array of sweet and savoury treats. If you’re thinking of pandal hopping, then keep an eye out for these must-have Ganapati prasads. 

Modaks are sweet rice flour dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery. Widely considered Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweet, modaks are steamed and generally flavoured with cardamom powder. Modak has several variations, from the no-cook nariyal modak to the mawa modak, made from milk solids and sugar. However, ukadiche remains the most popular, often served fresh on the first day of the festival and available across most pandals and sweet shops during this time.

Now, this is a classic Indian sweet across festivals, cities, and states. Round and delectable, laddoos can be made with many ingredients, but the two most associated with Ganesh Chaturthi are motichoor and besan laddoos. The motichoor laddoo is made from saffron-infused boondi, while the besan laddoo is made from slow-roasted chickpea flour balls moulded in pure ghee. Both sweets are commonly served at other festivals, given as gifts, and even consumed during wedding celebrations and other festive events. 

A classic Maharashtrian sweet, Puran Poli includes a flatbread stuffed with a filling of chana dal and jaggery. Known as holige or obbattu in Karnataka, bobbatlu in Andhra Pradesh, and vedmi in Gujarat, it’s soft, aromatic, and ancient! The dish is mentioned in a 12th-century encyclopaedia. While it may be consumed with sour curry (amti) or pakoras at home, you can also enjoy this Ganapati prasad as is while you make your way from one pandal to the other. 

Maharashtra may have grand celebrations for Ganesh Chaturthi, but the festival is celebrated across states. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, for example, it’s called Vinayak Chavithi and is celebrated with Undrallu. These are traditional steamed rice dumplings offered as a sacred naivedyam (prasad) to Lord Ganesha. Though they may sound similar, undrally and modak are not the same dish. Both differ in shape, and bellam undrallu has jaggery mixed directly into the dough rather than being stuffed inside, as in modak. 

If modaks are the delights of Ganesh Chaturthi, Karanji is the ultimate fried Ganapati prasad. It’s a crispy, sweet, half-moon-shaped fried pastry, packed with grated coconut (fresh or dry), jaggery or sugar, cardamom powder, poppy seeds, and chopped nuts. It’s very similar to the gujiya served during Holi in North India in shape, ingredients, and cooking style. The slight difference is in the filling. A much-loved addition to the festive spread, most people talk about waking up to the smell of being fried during festivals. 

Sheera is a kind of pudding. A more traditional version is the rava sheera, which is like a sooji halwa. It’s quick and fragrant, made by roasting semolina in ghee and garnishing with cardamom and dried fruits. Another version, banana sheera, adds ripe bananas to the mix. For Ganesh Chaturthi, banana sheera is particularly popular in some Maharashtrian households and pandals. It can also be offered as naivedyam.

Panchamrit is less a dessert and more a sacred offering that is an important part of Hindu puja, including Ganesh Chaturthi. The name literally means “five nectars”, referring to the traditional combination of milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar. The ingredients are mixed together to create a mildly sweet, creamy preparation that is offered to the deity before being distributed as prasad. Some regional variations may include ingredients such as bananas, dates, or tulsi, but the five core ingredients remain the defining feature.

If you like your festive desserts creamy, chilled, and fragrant, look out for shrikhand. This Maharashtrian and Gujarati favourite is made by straining yoghurt until thick and mixing it with sugar, cardamom, and saffron. The result is a rich, smooth dessert with a gentle tang from the yoghurt and a sweet, aromatic finish. It’s commonly served during festivals and special occasions, either on its own or with puri, making it a fitting addition to a Ganesh Chaturthi feast.