Bite into some feastivities

The Guide goes on a sweet trail and comes back in festive spirit loaded with traditional kadubus and modaks

Bite into some feastivities

The Guide goes on a sweet trail and comes back in festive spirit loaded with traditional kadubus and modaks

With Ganesh Chaturthi being celebrated all over the country, here's a look at places where you can indulge your sweet tooth the traditional way. Choose from moon-shaped puff pastries traditionally known as kadubu and dumpling-shaped modaks stuffed, fried and deliciously aromatic.

The must-try modaks at Asha Sweetsu00a0Pcs/ Stish Bdiger and Rmesh HS

ha Sweets
There is a crowd at the entrance of this otherwise easy-to-miss place, but we seemed to be the only one hassled by it. The sweet shop seems more than used to the thronging during this season and almost mechanically dishes out the festival favourites. The counters are colourful and can leave you spoilt for choice. Having been around for over 40 years, the shop with its many outlets, begins dishing out kadubus a month in advance. They claim to have sold nearly 400 kgs of it last year andu00a0 expects the sales to go up this time around. Modak is available in two variants: Motichoor and Kesar. Shaped in the traditional way, the miniature modaks are crumbly and have unconventional flavours despite being devoid of the filling. The kadubus are available with the traditional coconut and jaggery stuffing in packets of five. The crust is crispy and the filling soft and moist with the jaggery infused coconut.

Where Asha Sweets, 131, 8th Cross, Sampige Road, Malleswaram
Call 23317285
For R 90 onwards

Subbamma Stores
Delight comes in the simplest and smallest places sometimes, and with a slice of history attached, it gets better. In the hustle bustle of Gandhi Bazaar is this small store, well-known as Subbamma's Angadi/ Srinivasa Condiments. It was started in 1948. The dense crowd outside the tiny entrance make the shop makes easily identifiable. The whiff of ghee hits you even before you are drawn closer. If jostling your way through a crowd is not quite your way, be prepared to wait in line just as we did. Amongst many fast moving snacks and savouries like obattu, chaklis and more are some traditional kadubus. Our search for the perfectly shaped ones ended here. Finely created kadubus come in packs of four at a price that is sure to take you on a nostalgic trip. The ones here are a tad different from their jaggery counterparts. The stuffing is made up of coconut and granulated sugar. The crust is fried crisp and the combination perfect and mildly sweet.

Where 92, Subbamma Stores, HB Samaja Road, Near Gandhi Bazaar Circle
Call 26677493 For R 15 onwards

Modak
With four different varieties of modak, savoury and sweet, could we have asked for much else? There are options for the health conscious too, as the modak is also served in its steamed variety here. Steamed modaks are available with the regular filling of jaggery and coconut and also in variants like those made of chana flour stuffed with the typical Maharashtrian puran, a sweet jaggery stuffing . Those with a tame sweet tooth can try the steamed modak withu00a0 spicy vegetable filling. If you can afford to forget the calories this festive season, opt for the regular modak with sugar and coconut filling fried in pure ghee.

Where Modak, 423, Aspasia Hotel, 4th Block, 8th Main, Koramangala
Call 9972572310
For R 12 per piece onwards

Halli Mane
This rural restaurant with its two branches promises the no-fuss version of the festive sweets. Kari kadubu (the sweet variety) is available with a filling of coconut and jaggery keeping in line with the festival. Modaks stuffed with a similar stuffing is also available in the fried version. Halli Mane offers other delicacies around this time of the year, like Holige, a sweet, flat bread made out of chana dal and jaggery.

Where Halli Mane, 3rd Cross, Sampige Road, Malleswaram
7th Cross, Coconut Avenue Road, Malleswaram
Call 65611222/ 41440692
For R 10 per piece onwards