Loving Ganesha: Chapter 16 - Sweet Offerings--Mishtanna Naivedyam

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font-family:Arial">Namaste all,

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font-family:Arial">Since chapter sixteen is not anywhere near as big as most of

the other chapters I have sent it all in the one mail.

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12.0pt;font-family:Arial">Om Shanti,

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font-family:Arial">Neil

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color:#810D18;font-weight:bold">M

color:#810D18;font-weight:bold">ishtanna

font-weight:bold"> Naivedyam

font-weight:bold">Sweet Offerings

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ILLAIYAR HAS A SWEET TOOTH, JUST LIKE

everyone else. For each special puja to Him, goodies

are carefully prepared in a worshipful mood while chanting mantras. Modaka balls

are presented, among other

sweets, on trays before Lord Ganesha in temples and home shrines in over 120

countries, especially during festivals. Of course, foods for puja are never

tasted or smelled during preparation or before being offered. They are

enjoyed only after the puja, as prasada. The spirit

of modaka offering is captured in the following poem by one of Ganesha's

dearest devotees, Tirumati S.K. Jagadeswari

of

13.5pt">Bangalore, South India.

bold">Mudakaratta Modaka

Aum Ganapati Aum.

Aum Gam Ganapataye Namah.

Vinayaka! -- What is dear to Thee,

That will I offer Thee! With what fondness

Thou hold kolukattai in Thy Hand!

I know Thou like it. Thou art sweetness.

italic">Mudakaratta modaka, with smooth rice dough,

Will I envelop and wrap

Jaggery sweet mix with sesame powder,

Cook in steam -- that I serve Thee with devotion.

Recipe

One: Modaka

Ball-Like Sweets

The

following recipe will make approximately 20 lime-sized modakas

italic">, a treat for the children and a traditional offering in

the temple. It takes about two hours to make them.

font-weight:bold">Ingredients and Utensils

1 lb.

rice flour

2 cups jaggery (or 2 cups brown sugar

with

four tbsp. dark molasses added)

2 cups

raw sesame seeds

2

grated coconuts (optional)

2 cups

melted ghee or drawn butter

1 tsp.

salt

banana

leaf or waxed paper

a flour

sifter or fine sieve

an

italic">iddli or

vegetable steamer

font-weight:bold">Directions

Roast

the sesame seeds in a pan, without oil, until golden brown (5 to 10 minutes).

Crack the seeds by rolling with a rolling pin or pounding. Add 4 tbsp. ghee

to the jaggery to soften it, then

mix in the sesame seeds and coconut thoroughly. (This mix may be refrigerated

in jars for making quick sweets simply by adding a bit of ghee and shaping

the dough into balls.)

Next

sift the rice flour and toast it without oil until it browns slightly --

about 5 to 7 minutes. Spread it out on a tray or table top when done, and

allow to cool completely. While the rice flour is

cooling, bring approximately a half gallon of water, with a tsp. of salt, to

a rolling boil. Put the cooled, toasted rice flour in a bowl and make a well

in the middle. Slowly pour a small amount of the hot water into the well and

begin working it into the rice flour with your hands. Keep adding small

amounts of the hot water, and work the flour into a ball of dough. It should

be moist but not wet when you put it out on the table or breadboard. Knead

the dough thoroughly so it is even in moisture and texture.

Next,

place water in the bottom of the iddli

italic"> steamer and bring to a full boil. Spread a thin coating

of ghee or oil on a piece of banana leaf or waxed paper. Take a lump of dough

half the size of a lime and work it in your hands for a moment to remove the

air and then pat it out flat and round on the leaf, about as wide across as

your palm.

13.5pt">M

13.5pt">ake it a uniform thickness so it will cook evenly. Place a lump of

the sesame-jaggery-coconut mixture into the center

and wrap the dough up around the mixture. Pinch the dough into a cone-shape

over the stuffing and wrap the leaf or paper up around it. (The modakas can also

be round if desired.) Repeat

until you have enough to fill your steamer. Place the assembled modakas in the

steamer, spaced so as to not

touch one another. Cover and steam until done (15 to 20 minutes). While they

cook you can prepare the next batch. When cool enough to handle, dip the modakas

in melted ghee. Now they are ready to

offer.

Recipe

Two: Pudi Kolukattai

Sweet Rice Flour Roll

font-weight:bold">Ingredients and Utensils

2 cups

rice flour

1 cup jaggery or brown sugar

1

shredded coconut

1 tsp.

salt

an iddli or vegetable steamer

a pan

for toasting the flour

banana leaf or tray

font-weight:bold">Directions

Heat

the rice flour in a dry skillet until lightly toasted,

then spread it out on a tray or table top to cool. Sprinkle a little water on

it and add the salt, jaggery and coconut. Mix together, adding water only as

needed. When it is well kneaded and firm, pinch the dough off into as many

lime-sized balls as it will make. Roll into balls, or squeeze in the right

hand to create a fist-shaped

italic">kolukattai.

Bring water in the steamer to a boil and arrange the kolukattais in it, wrapped

in banana leaves as in

recipe #1. Steam until the balls are a light brown in color. Arrange on a

banana leaf or tray and serve to Lord Ganesha.

Recipe

Three: Yallu Kolukattai

Sesame Seed and Sweet Rice Roll

This

type of kolukattai is commonly prepared in South India for Ganesha Chaturthi festivals.

font-weight:bold">Ingredients and Utensils

1 cup

sesame seeds

1 cup jaggery or brown sugar

4 cups

rice flour

1 tsp.

salt

oil or

ghee

8 cups

water

a

steamer with flat rack

a

skillet for toasting flour

a small

piece of cheesecloth

a

mortar and pestle, rolling pin or blender

banana leaf or tray

font-weight:bold">Directions

Fry the

sesame seeds, without oil, until light brown, then mix with the jaggery. Then,

using a pestle and mortar, rolling pin or blender,

powder this mixture and set it aside. Heat the rice flour until lightly

toasted, and spread it out on a tray or table top to cool. While it cools,

add the salt to 8 cups of water in a pan and bring to a strong boil. Gather

the cooled, toasted rice flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Slowly pour a small amount of the hot water into the well in the rice flour

and begin working it into the rice flour with your hands. Keep adding small

amounts of the hot water, working it together into a ball of dough. It should

be moist but not wet when you put it out on the table or breadboard. Knead

the dough thoroughly so it is even in moisture and texture. When it can be

handled, squeeze the dough into lime-sized balls and set them aside.

Smear a

bit of oil or ghee on a banana leaf, tray or table top and roll or knead one

of the dough balls out on it to a patty about 3 inches in diameter. Place a

full tablespoon of the sesame and sugar mixture in the middle and fold the

patty over in a crescent shape, pinching it closed where the edges meet.

Repeat the process for the rest of the balls.

Bring

the water in your vegetable or

italic">iddli steamer

to a boil and insert the steaming rack or a plate with small holes in it. The

rack should be fairly flat and be covered over with a layer of cheesecloth or

cotton weave. Arrange the kolukattai on the flat rack, as many as will fit

without touching. Cover and steam for 15 to 20 minutes, or until done,

depending on the size of your steamer. When finished, transfer them to a plate

or banana leaf and allow to cool. Serve to Ganesha

as His fondest sweet. With any remaining sesame-sugar mixture you may make

small Ganesha figures. Keep them along with the cooked ones for puja. Betel

leaves, nuts and fruits may be

offered with these.

 

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font-family:Arial">Loving Ganesha by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

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font-family:Arial">Web sites: http://www.hindu.org/

& http://www.himalayanacademy.com/

email: contact (AT) hindu (DOT) org

Himalayan Academy

Kauai's Hindu Monastery

Arial">107 Kaholalele Road

Kapaa, HI 96746-9304

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