Ganapati khana, more ya!

Ganesh Chaturthi is here and for those who love food this is just another excuse to indulge. Here are a few traditional (Telugu and Maharashtrian) recipes that have been festival staples for decades now

Undrallu Ingredients cup rice flour cup water (adjust amount while making) tsp salt For tempering 2 tsp oil tsp mustard seeds tsp asafoetida tsp split urad dal 2 dry red chillies, halved 2-3 tbsp grated coconut A few curry leaves A pinch of salt

Method Bring cup of water with salt to a boil. Once it boils, take it off the heat and add cup of rice flour, mixing as you do so. Make sure no lumps are formed and mix well until you get a soft dough. Start with cup water and keep adding a few drops until you get the desired consistency. Let this cool down a bit, however, don’t let it cool completely. Make small marble-sized balls and place in a steamer. Steam for about 10 minutes until the undrallu are cooked. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the rest of the tempering ingredients and fry for a minute. Add the steamed undrallu in, stir well, and remove from fire.

— Recipe courtesy: Food blogger Nagalakshmi,cookingandme.com

Maharashtrian coconut laddu Ingredients 1 kg fresh coconut 600 gm sugar 6 gm green cardamom powder

Method Mix the sugar with water and dissolve it. Take it off the heat and add the coconut and cardamom powder to the sugar solution. Quickly stir and make small balls out of the mixture. This laddu is served as a bhog to Lord Ganesha.

Fried modaks Ingredients 4 cups refined flour 2 cups semolina 3 tbsp ghee 6 cups water 1 cup milk Salt as required Oil to fry For the stuffing 4 fresh coconuts Jaggery, the amount of the coconut (slightly heated and just about melting)

Method Mix the flour, semolina and salt, then add the ghee and mix well. Knead that with water and milk to form a semi-soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for a few hours. For the stuffing Add both the ingredients in a kadhai and mix over low heat till well amalgamated. Allow this to cool. Meanwhile, make small balls out of the rice dough and make small discs out of them. Add a tbsp of the filling on each disc and pull together and seal the edges to make a modak. Heat oil in a kadhai and fry the modaks till they are a beautiful golden brown. For the steamed modaks recipe check www.deccanchronicle.com