Crab, turmeric leaves and vegetable stew — these treats prove there's more to Ganpati offerings than a sweet cone
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If modaks are the only delicacies you connect with Ganesh Chaturthi, it's time for a re-think. Various communities of Maharashtra have been rustling up traditional recipes passed down generations to offer to the Lord. And, each offering not only has a taste of its own, but also a story no less unique. We peeped into kitchens across Mumbai as its keepers gear up for the biggest festival of the season.
Sarika Vaity
PAPLET AAMBAT, KOLIS
As many families across Mumbai bring home the Gauri, there's something that sets the Koli celebration apart. In this, they offer Gauri their favourite food: fish and crab. This dish, however, is not offered to Ganesha, Gauri's son, as he's seen as a vegetarian god. "The goddess has given us the bounty of fish and thus it's our duty to offer it to her during an auspicious occasion," says homemaker Sarika Vaity, a Borivli resident. The typical naivedya (offering) includes crab, which is boiled and peppered with turmeric and salt, and signature-style pomfret curry cooked in Koli masala.
The recipe:
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Cooking time: 40 min 1 medium sized pomfret (cleaned and cut in 3-4 pieces) 1/2 cup grated coconut, 2-4 tamarind, 5-6 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 3 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp oil, salt to taste.
METHOD
Grind coconut, green chillies and coriander leaves to a paste. Heat oil in a deep pan, add paste along with red chilli powder, turmeric, salt and tamarind water. Fry paste well. Add water and let it boil. Add fish and then cook for six minutes on high flame.
Dr Ankita Pathak
CHIROTI
DESHASTHA BRAHMINS
At the Pathak household in Andheri East, a new dish is offered to the deity each day through the 10 days of the Gansh festival. The first day usually includes ukdiche modak followed by platter of chiroti the next morning. "Offerings could range from kheer, sheera or even coconut rice," says Dr Ankita Pathak, a veterinarian, who runs a private kennel at Malad. The chiroti, however, remains a favourite in the family. Also known as Phenori in Karnataka, Chiroti is a fried flaky pastry with delicate circular layers served with powdered sugar or dipped in cardamom flavoured sugar syrup. "My mother used to make it because my father loved it. Later, I learnt it, and now my daughter prepares it," says Pathak's mother, Nilima. The Chiroti is a popular snack among Deshastha Brahmins, and is prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali. "To a beginner, it might appear daunting, because the pastry has several layers, but practice helps," says Pathak, adding, "I still need some guidance from my mother, though."
The recipe:
Serves 4
Cooking time: 20 min (excluding prep)
INGREDIENTS
To make dough use 3/4 cup maida, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 2 spoons ghee, a pinch of salt, cardamom powder, oil for frying For paste 4 spoons cornflour, 4 tbsps clarified butter
METHOD
Mix maida and rava well and add a pinch of salt. Heat ghee in a pan. Add milk and knead it into a soft dough. Keep this aside for 20 minutes. For the sugar syrup, take one cup of sugar, add a cup of water to it and keep it to boil. Once done, allow it to cool. To prepare the paste, take clarified butter and add cornflour to it and blend it into a fine paste. Then take the dough and divide it into six equal portions. Roll each ball into thin sheets. Take one roti, spread the paste on it and place another layer of roti on the top of it. Similarly, place a third roti on top. Roll the sheets together into a log and then cut them into half inch pieces. Roll each piece in small rounds. Deep fry the pooris on low flame and then dip them in the sugar syrup for a minute.
PATOLI, SARASWAT BRAHMINS
This season, home chef Rohini Mallapur who runs a delivery service from her Grant Road home, has received over 100 orders for Patoli. "It's an aromatic sweet turmeric cake which is steamed, wrapped in turmeric leaves, and stuffed with jaggery, coconut and cardamom powder," says Mallapur, who has been running the business since 2008. Popular in Mangalore and Goa, Patolis are prepared during Nagpanchami and Ganesh Chaturthi as a fasting item. "Turmeric plant is preferred over banana leaves for its fragrant flavour. While they are easily available in the market in monsoon, it might not be the case through the year," she says, adding that growing the plant at home is always a handy option.
The recipe:
Serves 4
Cooking time: 15 min
INGREDIENTS
2 cups maida, 12 turmeric leaves, Pinch of salt For stuffing 6 tbsp of grated jaggery, 1 cup scraped coconut, cardamom powder
METHOD
Make a batter of flour of medium consistency. Add salt to taste. Mix coconut powder, jaggery and cardamom together to blend well. Cut haldi leaves in 2 to 3 pieces horizontally depending on the size of Patolis needed. Spread the maida batter evenly on the leaf. Put 1 tablespoon of the mixture and fold the leaf. Repeat this process with the remaining leaves and steam.
Rohini Mallapur
RUSHIPANCHAMI CHI BHAJI
Bimba Nayak was 17 when she got married and tried her hand at cooking the Rushipanchami Chi Bhaji, a dish made of five kinds of vegetables on the second day of Ganpati. The 63-year-old, who is known to be one of the key proponents of Pathare Prabhu cuisine in the city, says, "This is the only vegetable that is allowed on the day of fasting, on the second day of Ganpati. The day is known as the day for sages. Hence the name Rushipanchami chi bhaji. It's also called Hatachi Bhaji, which means homegrown. Traditionally, the vegetables were hand-picked from the backyard. That is because, married women were not allowed to step out on the day of the puja. Nowadays, that is not possible. But the dish is prepared anyway." A striking feature of this dish is that is cooked in white butter.
The recipe:
Serves 3
Cooking time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
2 cucumbers, 400 gms white corn, 2 pcs of shiralee (gourd), 200 gms green peas, 3 green chillies finely chopped, a handful of chopped coriander, 250 gms, white butter, 1 cup grated coconut and salt to taste
METHOD
Take a flat pan and heat the white butter. Add green chillies and saute. Add the chopped vegetables and grated coconut and
coriander. Sprinkle salt according to taste. Cover the pan with a flat lid and pour a glass of water over the lid. The vegetables should cook in steam only. Cook on low flame until done.
Amarendra Mulye
GHAVAN GHATLE, KONKANASTHA BRAHMINS
Gauri pooja is performed in many Maharashtrian households during Ganesh Chaturthi, but the rituals differ across sects. "Konkanastha Brahmins worship pebbles which are representative of the goddess," says Amarendra Mulye, a chartered accountant, who runs the food blog Amu's Recipes. "Some people keep two pebbles, while others like to keep five. Back in the day, women would step out to collect these pebbles. The Gauris are placed beside the idol on rice grains, and are worshipped over three days. Married daughters are invited to their parents' home for the pooja. It is on the second day of the Gauri pooja that the Ghavan Ghatle is offered."
The recipe:
Serves 3
Cooking time: 45 min
Ghavan:
INGREDIENTS
1 cup rice flour, 1.5 cups milk , salt, pinch of soda bi-carb, ghee (if required)
METHOD
Mix the rice flour and salt and pour milk into the mixture while stirring continuously. Rest the batter for 30 minutes. Just before making the ghavan, add a pinch of soda bi-carb to the batter. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Once hot, add some ghee. Place a ring mould on the pan and pour a spoonful of batter in it. Cover and cook for two minutes on medium heat. Once one
side is cooked, flip the pancake, cover and cook for another two minutes. Remove and serve it w
ith the ghatle.
Bimba Nayak
Ghatle:
INGREDIENTS
3 cups of water, 1 cup coconut milk2-3 tbsp jaggery, 2 tbsp rice flour, 1 cup scraped coconut, salt, 1 tsp cardamom powder, pistachio flakes for garnishing.
METHOD
Heat two-and-a-half cups of water in a saucepan, add shredded jaggery, scraped coconut, salt and cardamom powder, to boiling water Simultaneously, mix rice flour with half cup water and add it to the mixture. Stir continuously to avoid lumps and add coconut milk. Cook it for 2-3 minutes till the mixture thickens. Allow it to cool before serving. Garnish with pistachio.
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