It’s Ganesh Chaturthi, Lord Ganesha’s happy birthday. India, celebrates festivals in the form of birthdays of Gods and Goddesses.
Ganesha, is the son of the Shiva and Parvati. He is a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. Lord Ganesha, is invoked at the beginning or starting of any new endeavor or auspicious occasion  in life. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated widely in India and outside India, by people of many different religions. In India, the planning and modeling the clay idols  begin days before the birthday. People bring Ganesha home on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, with lots of pomp and show. There are street displays as well wherein the clay idols are decorated and embellished in lot of different ways. Sometimes, there are competitions as well in who decorates the idol best. 
Usually, Ganesha’s birth is celebrated till the 10th day of the moon and then on the final day, there is a procession of taking Ganesha and submerging them into water. Every day of the festivities, people offer religious prayers and prasad (holy food offering ) to Lord Ganesha. It is fun activity for kids and they get to learn about the religious beliefs in the celebrating the birth of Ganesha.
The history of community celebration of the festival ways long back at the time of Lokmanya Tilak ( Social reformer and activist) times when it was only a domestic household celebration , but he brought this celebration to an public event to bridge the gaps between people of different faith. And, her turned small domestic celebration into huge, served a place for all individuals to come together to create harmony.
Lord Ganesha loves ladoos. Â “Modak” are his favorite sweet. Â As, he loved ladoos so much so that people would offer him ladoo on his birthday or during the long 10 day festivities. When its time to say good bye to ganesh idols people really feel sad. Its a feeling than just a ritual.
 
Churma ladoos are very famous in western part of India. They are considered a source of energy. Ideally, you mix whole wheat flour with ghee creating a crumbly pie type of dough. Then this dough is shaped in rounds and deep fried to cook it. Once fried, you break it down to form coarse meal and mix sweetener, dry fruits and form balls again. In my recipe I use jaggery. Some people use sugar too. I like the one with jaggery. I dislike frying them so I tried baking the dough. And, it really does not make any difference in the taste. They are fried to give them that structure and remove rawness. Baking does an excellent job.Â
Churma Ladoo
Ingredients
- 1 Cup wheat Flour, coarsely ground
- 3 Tbsp ghee
- 2 Tbsp water or Milk
- 2 Tsp Sesame Seeds toasted
- 1/3 cup dry coconut shredded or chips toasted
- 1 Tsp cardamom Powder
- 1/3 cup small chopped dry fruits raisins, cashews, almonds- finely chopped
- 2 tbsp almond meal optional
- 3-4 tbsp ghee
- 3/4 - 1 cup jaggery depends on how sweet you want
- 1/2 cup white Poppy Seeds
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 425 F.
- In a bowl, mix the whole wheat flour and ghee together. Rub it together and it should form crumbs and add a little bit of milk or water to bind it together. Just enough that it holds its shape. It should all just come together to form rounds balls and does not disintegrate.
- Place the rounds on baking tray. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes until they have slightly brown color, and when you touch them they have crisped up. Let them rest on the baking tray.
- Toast the sesame seeds and dry coconut in pan until it is lightly browned. Watch it, it can quickly burn. Remove it aside.
- Let the rounds that we baked cool a little bit and then grind them in a food processor until they resemble coarsely ground. You can sieve this mix to separate any unwanted crumbs that are not processed. Remove the flour in a bowl. Add in the cardamom powder, toasted sesame seeds and coconut along with dry fruits and almond meal.
- Take some ghee in a pan and heat it. Add jaggery to it and let the jaggery melt. Once it melts, remove it from the flame. Add it immediately to the above mixture and mix it well with the help of a spoon or spatula. Remember not to use your hands to mix it as it is really hot and can burn your hands.
- Once it cools down a little bit try to form round small to medium sized balls. And, roll them into poppy seeds and place them on a tray. If you have trouble forming rounds balls, then please add tbsp of ghee or milk in the mixture.
- These stay well up to a week or so. You can refrigerate them or store it at room temperature in an airtight container.
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Enjoy! Ganpati  Bapa Morya!
Thanks to all my increasing  number of readers.
I updated this post today with new pictures. Ganesh Chaturthi is tomorrow! You can make these ladoos any time of the year, not only for Ganesha’s birthday. Â
