Ganesh Chaturthi today…… birthday of Lord Ganesha. Celebration would be incomplete without his favourite sweet Modak, another delicacy of Maharashtra. It is said that any offering to Ganesha is incomplete without the Modaks. Modak is a sweet rice dumpling stuffed with coconut, jaggery, poppy seeds and some dry fruits. The outer shell is made with modak rice flour which is not available in my place. I took the ready made rice flour and pulsed it in my wonderchef blender till the texture was as smooth as of all purpose flour (maida). Result was satisfactory. Shaping part is time consuming and is a bit messy task. It requires a lot of expertise and practice to do so. Since I am not an expert, I made a very small batch of it. I got a good feedback from my husband so it was worth trying. If you are a beginner, it would be easier to buy and use the moulds. Just a little patience is all you need to prepare them and they will be loved by people of all age groups.
Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 30 minutes
Servings : 7
Ingredients
- Rice Flour 1 Cup
- Water 1 1/4 Cup
- Coconut, scraped 1 Cup
- Jaggery, crushed 1/2 Cup
- Nutmeg (jaiphal) + ilaichi powder 3/4 tsp
- Poppy Seeds, roasted 1 tbsp
- Cashewnuts, copped 1 tbsp
- Raisins 6 – 8, chopped
- Ghee
Directions
- In a deep vessel, heat water along with a teaspoon of ghee and a pinch of salt.
- Once it starts boiling, mix in the rice flour stirring continuously (to avoid lumps) till all the water is absorbed. Switch off the flame, cover and keep it aside for five minutes.
- To make the filling, melt jaggery in a pan and mix in scrapped coconut.
- When the liquid dries a bit, add poppy seeds, dry fruits and jaiphal – ilaichi powder. Switch off the flame. Do not overcook as it tends to harden after cooling.
- Transfer the rice dough in a flat plate and start kneading when it is still hot. If you feel the temperature, dip your hands in cold water and again start kneading till you get a smooth dough.
- Divide the dough into seven equal sized balls. They should be smooth with no cracks on the surface. Grease your palm, take a ball and flatten it a bit, press and hold the centre with the help of your right thumb and rotate with the help of left hand thinning out the edges to get a shape of bowl.
- Keep one tea spoon of stuffing in the centre, make 8 – 10 pleats and collect the edges in the centre to seal it.
- Take a steamer, fill it with some water and let it boil. Place a colander on top, spread a muslin or any cotton cloth and keep the modaks in it. Cover and let it steam for 10 – 12 minutes.
- Check, if they look glossy and no more sticky, they are ready. Transfer them in a serving dish and drizzle some ghee over them.
