Desi Kitchen: Lord Ganesh’s Favorite Panchamrut Recipe

Every year, the beloved lord Ganesh—remover of obstacles, and widely known as the elephant-headed God—comes to visit the homes of his devotees. The holiday known as Ganesh Chaturthi is largely celebrated in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, and Karnataka. Depending on each household, Ganpati (Ganesh) can come to visit anywhere from five to fourteen days. The holiday is celebrated by preparing God’s favorite foods, collecting his favorite flowers, and singing traditional prayer songs with family.

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Every year, the beloved lord Ganesh—remover of obstacles, and widely known as the elephant-headed God—comes to visit the homes of his devotees. The holiday known as Ganesh Chaturthi is largely celebrated in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, and Karnataka. Depending on each household, Ganpati (Ganesh) can come to visit anywhere from five to fourteen days. The holiday is celebrated by preparing God’s favorite foods, collecting his favorite flowers, and singing traditional prayer songs with family.

One of the essential and delicious recipes you need to celebrate the holiday is Panchamrut. The word is a blend of panch, which means five, and amrut, which  means a divine nectar. The recipe consists of five easy ingredients.

Panchamrut

Serving Size: 5-10 people

Ingredients:

• Milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp ghee

Directions

1. Take two large tablespoons of plain yogurt, put into a medium sized bowl. (The bowl can be a salad or a soup-sized bowl.)

2. Take two tablespoons of sugar, pour on top of your yogurt.

3. Take two tablespoons of honey and drizzle over the yogurt and sugar

4. Take one tablespoon of ghee and place on top of your other ingredients.

5. Pour enough milk to cover your ingredients and fill the bowl up to one inch from the top.

6. Stir all ingredients together. Everything will be in chunks. That is okay, just make sure the sugar dissolves.

7. It is very, very important that you do not taste the Panchamrut before it is offered to God. It is considered spoiled if you do and you will have to start over.

8. Once your prayer food has been made. Place it in front of God and offer it to him. After prayers are complete you can serve it to yourself and friends. But remember, only in the right hand!

Note: If you are in college or you no longer live with your parents, celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi can help you feel connected to home. The only caveat is that one begin taking part in the festivities, it is a tradition you should carry on for years to come. When I moved from home to college, I began to celebrate by playing prayer songs on YouTube. In fact, this is the one I use: Sukhakarta Dukhaharta. I make Panchamrut, grow Vinca flowers (Ganpati’s favorite), buy incense, and celebrate for five days. Even though I am far from from India, I am never far from God.