Easy recipes for sweet and savoury cravings this Ganesh Chaturthi

With Ganesh Chaturthi knocking on your doorstep, here are simple and delicious recipes that can be made with quick-to-find ingredients at home. Try your hands making the chocolate laddoos,  the ring samosas, or even the traditional Kanranji, but bake it for the health-conscious ones. Indulge shares three recipes from the experts.

Milk Chocolate Baked Karanji

Kanranji’s cannot be missed during Ganesh Chaturthi. This time, surprise your loved ones with a baked milk chocolate Karanji which takes care of your sweet cravings and health. This recipe has been shared by executive pastry chef, Danish Khan from Conrad Pune.

Ingredients:

For Sweet paste dough

• 50 gms Icing Sugar
• 100 gms Unsalted Butter
• 160 gms Flour
• 1 gm Salt
• Vanilla extract or essence

Milk Chocolate coconut filling

• 100 gms Milk Chocolate
• 40 gms Desiccated coconut
• 3 gms Cardamom powder

Milk Wash

• 20 ml Milk
• 20 gms Icing sugar

Method:

For Sweet paste dough

• Cream together the butter and sugar very lightly – do not overmix, or you will add too much air to the pastry
• Add the flour and salt and mix until you have combined the dough.
• Flatten out slightly then wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling

For Filling

• Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, then stir in the desiccated coconut and the cardamom powder.

Milk Wash

• Blend milk with sugar together.

Assembling

• To create a checkerboard, roll the sweet paste dough and cut it into strips.
• Fill the centre with the filling, and then fold it into a half-moon.
• After brushing on milk wash, bake the item for 16 to 18 minutes at 180°C, or until golden brown.

Chocolate Coconut Laddoo

No Puja is complete without laddoos and when they are chocolate and coconut flavour ones who would not crave more than one? Here’s a simple and easy-to-make recipe shared by Puja Darshan. One can listen to her podcast The Tastes of India Podcast on Audible for more recipes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups freshly grated coconut
• 1/2 cup condensed Milk
• 100 gm semi-sweet dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup melted white chocolate
• Ghee, as required

Method:

• Dry-roast grated coconut in a pan over low heat for approximately 3-4 minutes, transfer to a bowl, and let it cool completely.
• Grind the roasted coconut into a fine powder and place it on a plate.
• Mix the ground coconut powder with condensed milk until well combined.
• Take portions of the mixture, and shape it into round laddoos, using a touch of ghee on your palms to prevent sticking. Place the laddoos in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up.
• While the coconut balls are chilling, melt dark chocolate for coating.
• Remove the coconut balls from the freezer and, one at a time, dip each into the melted chocolate. Ensure they are evenly coated.
• Gently tap off any excess chocolate and place the chocolate-coated balls on a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat the same coating process for the remaining laddoos.
• Drizzle melted white chocolate over the chocolate-coated laddoos for an extra touch of flavor and decoration.
• Chill the laddoos until the chocolate hardens (which should take 15 minutes) and enjoy tasting them!

Ring Samosa

If you find triangular samosas to be boring, try them circular. Sanjeev Kapoor’s simple, homely recipes are quick to make with easily available ingredients at home. This festive season, try this new twist on the old savoury Samosa. For more recipes by the icon, one can tune into Simple Recipes by Sanjeev Kapoor on Audible.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup blanched green peas
• 3 medium potatoes, boiled and peeled
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsps oil
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 chopped green chilli
• Salt to taste
• ¼ tsp garam masala powder
• 1½ cups + 2 cups refined flour (maida)
• 2 tbsps ghee
• ¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• Green chutney to serve

Method:

• Dry roast coriander seeds and cumin seeds until they become fragrant. Then, coarsely grind them.
• In a non-stick pan, heat some oil. Add ginger and green chili, and saute for a few seconds. Then, add green peas and mashed potatoes, and mix well.
• Add the coarsely ground spice mixture, salt, and garam masala powder. Mash the mixture using a masher.
• Transfer the mixture onto a plate, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• To prepare the dough, take 1½ cups of refined flour on a plate. Add ghee, carom seeds, salt, and half a cup of water. Knead the mixture until it forms a stiff dough. Cover it with a damp muslin cloth and set it aside for 10-15 minutes.
• For the slurry, take the remaining refined flour in a small bowl and add 3-4 tbsps of water. Mix until a smooth paste is formed.
• Grease your work surface lightly with oil. Take a portion of the dough and roll it into a thin sheet. Trim the edges to shape it into a rectangle.
• Place a portion of the stuffing on the top side of the rolled sheet. Make vertical slits at regular intervals on the bottom side. Starting from the top, roll it down and bring the two edges together to form a ring, sealing it with the slurry.
• In a kadai, heat enough oil. Carefully slide in the rings a few at a time and deep-fry them on low heat until they turn golden brown and crisp. Drain them on absorbent paper.
• Arrange the fried rings on a serving plate and serve them hot with green chutney!