The five-day festival of Diwali is round the corner. It is celebrated with rituals of Lakshmi pooja, sweets and crackers. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped as the patron of opulence and prosperity on these special days of Diwali and Dhanteras. Houses are cleaned, decorated and made illuminated with beautiful lamps to welcome the consort of Lord Vishnu (Maa Lakshmi). Several sweet dishes are made and offered to the deity as a part of pooja rituals.

She likes anything that is made of rice, jiggery and coconut. So, your best bet would be offering her rice kheer, phirni, sweet saffron dry fruit rice, gur ka halwa and coconut laddoos.

Find out the easy ways to prepare these delicacies with all purity at home:

Rice kheer: This common sweet is prepared during these festivals. It is an eternal favourite of the Goddess. Take one litre of full cream milk. Add a handful of washed basmati rice and two crushed green cardamoms in it. Cook on high flame till a boil comes. Then cook the kheer on low flame for an hour stirring it regularly. Add eight tablespoons of sugar. Give a good stir. Add 10-15 almonds (soaked for an hour, peeled and chopped) and 10-15 cashews (chopped). Mix well. Turn off the flame. Add 15-20 raisins and mix well. Kheer is ready for bhog.

Phirni: it is again a milk pudding loved by the Goddess of fortune. Take one litre of full cream milk. Wash thoroughly a handful of basmati rice. Soak them for an hour. Drain the water and grind the soaked rice to a coarse paste in a food processor. Add this paste to milk and give a boil on high flame stirring continuously. Add few saffron strands and one-fourth teaspoon of green cardamom powder. Turn the flame low and cook for an hour stirring occasionally. Add eight tablespoons of sugar and give a good stir. Add 15-20 crushed pistachios and 15-20 crushed almonds. Mix well. Turn off flame. Let it cool at room temperature. Then refrigerate till chilled. Garnish with few saffron strands and offer in the feet of Maa Lakshmi.

Sweet saffron dry fruit rice: This sweet dish is made with basmati rice soaked in sugar syrup, saffron water and loaded with rich dry fruits. Boil one cup of washed basmati rice in 10 cups of water so that they are not fully cooked. They should be boiled little hard because they have to be simmered again with sugar syrup. Soak seven to eight saffron strands in little water for an hour. Heat three table spoon of pure ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Add one crushed green cardamom. Add 15 to 20 chopped almonds, 15 to 20 chopped cashews, half cup grated dry coconut and half cup raisins to it. Saute for a minute or two. Add one cup of sugar. Pour two table spoons of water and saffron water with saffron strands. Mix all ingredients well. When sugar gets completely dissolved, add partially boiled rice in it. Mix well. Keep stirring gently on low flame till water content gets fully absorbed by the rice. This dish is generally served warmed to Goddess Lakshmi.

Gur ka halwa: It is also one of the favourite delicacies of Maa Lakshmi. Boil 80 grams of jiggery and two spoons of sugar in one and a half glass of water. Mix well and turn off flame when gur or jiggery completely gets dissolved in water. Keep aside to cool down. In a thick bottomed pan, heat 250 grams of pure ghee. Add 50 grams of besan in it. Roast it on low flame for two to three minutes. Add 150 grams of suji and keep stirring on low flame till it turns golden brown in colour. Add one teaspoon of green cardamom powder, 15 to 20 chopped cashews, 15 to 20 chopped almonds and few strands of diluted saffron. Now add warm jiggery water and stir continuously so that no lumps are formed. Serve steaming hot with enticing aroma for Lakshmi bhog.

Khoya nariyal laddoo: Heat a thick bottomed pan. Add one and a half cup of fresh grated coconut in this pan and stir on low flame for three to four minutes till some moisture evaporates. Take it out in a plate and keep aside. In the same pan, add one tablespoon of pure ghee. Add one cup of grated khoya in it. Saute for two to three minutes. When khoya begins to melt, add one-fourth cup of sugar. Mix well stirring for two to three minutes. Now add lightly roasted coconut and mix well. Add one-fourth teaspoon of green cardamom powder and mix well. Transfer this laddoo mixture in a plate. Let it cool down. Shape the mixture in small round balls like besan laddoos while the mixture is slightly warm. You may refrigerate them before offering as bhog or serve them at room temperature as well. They are always delicious and tempting to resist.

Every pooja is incomplete without bhog or Prasad. So sweets are prepared with pure ingredients to please the deities on Hindu festivals. These are special sweets which are offered to Goddess Lakshmi on Dhanteras and Diwali festivities to please her. This ritual doesn’t only please her but the worshiper is bestowed bounties by offering her these favourite delicacies.

Happy Dhanteras!

Have an auspicious Diwali!