Happy Gowri & Ganesh Chathurthi

Vakratunda Mahaakaaya,

Suuryakoti Samaprabha..

Nirvighnam Kurume Deva,

Shubha Kaaryeshhu Sarvadaa.

Wish You all a very happy Gowri & Ganesha Chathurthi.

As you celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi, may Lord Ganesha shower his choicest blessings on you & your family.

Ganesha Chaturthi or Ganesha Festival is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, resurrected to life on earth with the head of elephant. It is celebrated as it is the birthday of Lord Ganesha.. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, Chavath in Konkani. Typically, the day falls sometime between August and September . The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi.

This festival are widely popular, with local communities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggest statue & the best pandal. The festival is also the time for cultural activities like songs, dramas and orchestra.

We just celebrate the festival for two days. The first day is Gowri pooja & the next day is the Ganesha Chathurthi. We dont have the custom of keeping the idol, we just make sweets on both days & do pooja.

The sweet below is called Sajjige. Mom makes this very often as everyone likes it a lot. It is similar to Kesari bath. I thought of making this sweet on the Gowri festival day as it is very easy & fast to make.

Ingredients:

ಸಣ್ಣ ರವೆ / Fine Rava-1 cup

ಬೆಲ್ಲ / Jaggery - 1 cup

ತುಪ್ಪ/Ghee- 1/4 cup

ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ / Cardamom - 2

ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ / Raisins - 1Tb spoon

ಗೋಡಂಬಿ / Cashews - 1 Tb spoon

ಹಾಲು / Milk- 1 cup

ನೀರು / Water - 1 cup

Method:

• Fry rava with little ghee until golden brown.
• In a non stick pan add milk & water & allow it to boil.
• Then add jaggery & cardamom powder.
• After the jaggery has melted, add the rava & add the ghee & give it a stir.
• Close the lid & allow it boil on low heat.
• Fry raisins & cashews in ghee & add to the above.
• More ghee you add, the more it tastes good.