Every year, Ganeshotsav is celebrated with full festive fervour and with food being an important part of every festival in India, this one is no different. While modaks, being a favourite of Lord Ganesha, are really popular, halwa, shrikhand and kheer are not far behind and loved by all. As most of us have grown up eating them, we may often want to try out new variations, and that is why mid-day.com reached out to Indian chefs from all over Mumbai and India to share their innovations with these traditional dishes. For others, who worry about gaining weight, there are a lot of alternative options that chefs believe shouldn’t stop you from celebrating and worshipping Lord Ganesha.

With their experimentations in full swing, these chefs have not only shared recipes for chocolate modaks but have also added coconut to it, and even encased rabri in lavender and saffron to serve with it. They have even taken the liberty of converting rabdi into a mousse, to serve it with gulab jamuns, with a helping of saffron gel. In fact, why stick to modaks? They encourage you to eat more than one bowl of plain shrikhand, by making a trio in the form of bite-sized tarts. While these are all rich and indulgent, we also have another healthy version of a halwa, and that means everybody can enjoy and revel in the spirit of Ganesh Chaturthi this year.