The 11-day festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is here and our excitement knows no bounds. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the biggest Indian festivals and for a reason. Did you know, that this festival played its own sweet role in the Indian freedom struggle. Freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak chose Ganesh Chaturthi to unite Indians from all castes against the British who would not allow big gatherings of Indians. Ever since then Ganesh Chaturthi has been associated with grandeur and opulence, of India’s culture and festive spirit. Many Bollywood celebrities also bring idols of Ganesha and prepare bhog themselves to celebrate the festival, from Riteish Deshmukh to Shilpa Shetty, everybody is flaunting their Ganpati set up on Instagram.
Ganesh Chaturthi is also big on food, and does that come as a surprise? Lord Ganesha was after all one of the most notorious foodies on Mount Kailash. He is known by several names, one being ‘Modakpriya’. Modak, is a signature sweet of the festival, and on the second day of the festival, actress Shraddha Kapoor posted an Instagram story where she can be seen tucking into delicious modak, the day before, she had a whole festive thali served on a banana leaf.
Banana leaf is an intrinsic part of Indian festivities. Most Indian festive spreads are served on some kind of leaves, while in North India, and east India, the tradition of using plates made of Sal leaves is common, in South India and even parts of west India banana leaves take prominence. On Sharaddha’s spread, we spotted a range of traditional delicacies - like puri; batatyachi (aloo) sabzi; thecha, a Maharashtrian chilli chutney; rice smeared with dal; saag; ukadiche (steamed) modak; grilled corn cob; and kheer made with vermicelli.
Shraddha is a half-Maharashtrian. In fact, her maternal aunt, actor Padmini Kolhapure was an acclaimed artist of her time. Every year, Shraddha decides to give her diet a little break and indulge in a delish Ganesh Chaturthi meal and spreads like these are sure worth it, don’t you think. Here’s our favourite recipe of ukadiche modak that you can try at home yourself.