Naheta runs Saadam, a South Indian home catering service Malabar Hill , that uses fresh ingredients to make flavourful and authentic traditional eats. She tells mid-day of why the modak is offered during Vinayagar Chaturthi. In the Puranas [ancient Hindu literary texts in Sanskrit], it is said that when Lord Ganesha was a baby, his grandmother would pamper him with delicious laddus. As he grew older, his appetite for laddus also grew. Once, his mother, Parvati, realised that she would not be able to prepare these in a short while and decided to make something else for him to relish. She came up with the recipe for the modak, a sweet made of rice flour, coconut, jaggery, and ghee. Lord Ganesha is said to have relished them, becoming his favourite food. “There is no difference in ingredients or method between kozhukattai  and the modak, except for their shape. While the Maharashtrian version is an upturned cone, the kozhukattai  isn’t restricted by shape recommendation; you can choose a shape of your choice, steam it, and offer it to Ganapathi. The stuffing is enriched with sesame seeds, dried ginger powder, and cardamom powder aside from jaggery and coconut,” she explains.

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Santacruz-based home chef, Prabha Kini, says that the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin version of the modak doesn’t have a stuffing, and is fried. Members of the community are centred in Goa, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra, “It’s just a batter of wheat flour, semolina, jaggery and cardamom, dropped in hot ghee and deep fried. They also make a banana version, where the ripe fruit is mashed into the mixture before frying.”

Ela Ada

Sravani Mellacheruvu who runs The South Social, a cloud kitchen in Bandra, looks forward to Ganesh Chaturthi—or what the South Indian community calls Vinayaka Chavithi—because Ganesha is a deity who loves food. “Every year, we make at least five to seven specialities. For Andhraites, bellam kudumulu is an absolute must to make on the occasion. It is similar to the modak but with a twist in shape and a taste of its own. It even finds a mention in the shlokas. I recall having it as a kid with my cousins; my recipe comes to me from my grandmother.”

Bellam kudumullu

For bellam kudumulu, rice flour dough is made with lukewarm water and stuffed with mashed boiled chana dal, jaggery, almond, cashew nut, cardamom powder, and ghee. Sealed by folding and applying water to the edges, it is steamed for 15 minutes and topped with ghee.

Undralla payasam. Pic/Shadab Khan

Another Vinayak Chaturthi speciality, undralla payasam, is made a tight dough of wheat flour and powdered sugar. With greased hands, this is moulded into cylindrical or round small balls. These are boiled in water until cooked, then jaggery is added, followed by a slurry of rice flour. Dry fruits and coconut pieces are fried in ghee and added as garnish along with cardamom powder.

Home chef Prabha Kini says the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin version of the modak doesn’t have a stuffing, and is fried. Pic/Shadab Khan

In Kerala, Onam sets the mood for all things festive and here too, a distant cousin of the modak, the ela ada, is offered to the Lord. Toral Sanghvi, founder of Keralite catering service Nair on Fire, says, “The much-loved ela ada is on our special menu this Ganesh Chaturthi on preorder. This sweet delicacy features ada that’s made of house-made rice podi/powder which kind of cradles the filling made of jaggery and grated coconut. These parcels are then encased in banana leaves and steamed to cook. Ela ada defies the idea of a sweet dish being sinful as it’s wholesome. It’s simple, traditional and melt-in-mouth.”

TO ORDER FROM  
Nair on Fire: 9324059522
The South Social: 8805024229
Saadam: 9867380078
Prabha Kini: 9820884070