Ganesh Chathurthi Special: Godu Appo (Sweet Appe/Paniyaram)

Today is Ganesh Chathurthi . Today is Lord Ganesha's birthday. Lord Ganesh is also known as the " elephant-face God" in the western countries. Ganesh Chathurthi is celebrated with much pomp in India and by Hindus worldwide. It is a festival of great importance to Indians just the way Christmas is to Christians. In quite a few Indian cities and towns there is a week-long celebration for this  festival. Where I am from, we celebrate it is celebrated as a family gathering. That is, the eldest person in the family hosts the festival in his home and all the family members congregate there for the celebration. Being that we are so far away from home, we celebrate it by going to the local temple for prayer and preparing sweet appos at home as an offering to Lord Ganesha. It is believed that this was one of Lord Ganesha's favorite treats!

There are several different ways of making appos and as usual my recipe is one that is of no fuss, quick and easy to make, yet absolutely delicious! The only requirement is the availability of a appe pan without which this cannot be made!

 I am bringing this to Angie and all the wonderful people at Angie's Fiesta Friday. I am sure they will be intrigued!!

Servings: makes 21 medium sized appos.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour: 1/2 cup
Coarse rava( sooji): 1/2 cup
Freshly grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Poha ( beaten rice) : 1 cup
Jaggery: 3/4 cup
Water: 1 cup
Salt: pinch
Ghee( clarified butter)/ oil: to grease the appe pan.

Method:

Grind together coconut, poha, jaggery and salt with water.Take the mixture in a bowl. 

Mix into it the wheat flour and sooji. The batter should have a thick consistency.

Keep aside for 5 hours or overnight.

Heat the appe pan over medium heat.

Grease the pan using oil/ ghee. Pour tablespoonful of batter in each hole of the pan. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook. 

When the top is done you can flip it over and let it cook for 1 min until done.

You can serve it hot or cold.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Iron and cast-iron pots and pans tend to rust if not taken care of properly.  Taking care of iron or cast iron pots and pans is not difficult if one is mindful. Do not use soap to clean iron pots and pans. Clean gently with a paper towel/ wash cloth or soft scrub. Dry immediately after washing and apply a thin film of oil before storing. This will ensure that the pan remains seasoned, does not rust and food doesn't stick to it upon cooking.

Tip for healthy living:

Avoid non-stick pots and pans with Teflon-coating. The Teflon coating upon heating releases chemicals that could be deleterious to our health. It is worse when the Teflon coating starts wearing off. If using non-stick pots and pans, upon wearing off of the Teflon coating, promptly discard the pan. 

Food for thought:

The starting point of all achievement is desire. Napoleon Hill