Impress your family with these delicacies this Ganpati festival

Ganesh Chaturthi is the time to indulge in festival goodies. Bring good luck and prosperity home this festival and celebrate the occasion with lip-smacking Naivedyam recipes contributed by leading chefs.  The recipes have been compiled by Mewati Sitaram

Ganesh Chaturthi is a special occasion and so should be its recipe. Whoever brings a Ganesh idol at home makes sure to cook a complete meal, which is called Naivedyam, to serve it to Lord Ganesha. Surprisingly, devotees prepare new recipes every day to offer to Ganesha, including modak. Lord Ganesh is known for his inclination towards sweets. Therefore, a festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha will always be incomplete without special sweet dishes. There are a variety of dishes and sweets made on this occasion, with the most popular one being Modak. "Not only during festival but otherwise also, a satvik eater remains sensitive to the various nuances of his sensory being. On exposure to adverse conditions, a satvik person remains largely unaffected. Even if he falls sick his recovery period is very short, much shorter than any other," says Sanjeev Kapoor, a master chef Inder Dev, executive chef, ITC Fortune Select Excalibur, Gurgaon, says "One need to be a regular to on satvik food. A person who eats satvik food has an ideal combination of physically, mentally and emotionally harmony and well-being, and is at peace with himself. Such a person is always focused in his work, sleeps less and remains energized all day long". Sanjeev Kapoor Grand master chef, entrepreneur, author, India's longest running cookery show (Khana Khazana) presenter. Dry fruits and khajoor laddoo Ingredients Cashew nuts ¼ cup Almonds ¼ cup pistachios ¼ cup Dates, seeded and chopped: ½ kilogram Desi ghee: 2 tbsp Gum resin (gond), crushed 1 tablespoon Poppy seeds (khuskhus) roasted 1 tablespoon Green cardamom powder 1 teaspoon Nutmeg powder ½ teaspoons Method: Coarsely grind dates in a mixer and transfer into a bowl. Coarsely grind cashewnuts, almonds and pistachios. Heat one tablespoon of ghee in a pan, add gum resin and fry till golden brown. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, add the remaining ghee and sauté coarsely ground dry fruits and poppy seeds. Add dates and mix well. Sauté till dates are heated through. Remove into a plate and set aside to cool slightly. Add green cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Crush the gum resin and add. Mix everything well. And knead into dough. Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape them into laddoos. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.