Modak/ Ukadiche Modak - Ganesh Chathurthi Recipe

 Happy Ganesh Chathurthi to all Aps Kitchen Reader’s.

This is the first time I am making something apart from our cuisine. I just made this for my Daughter as she loves watching Ganesha and whenever she watches him eat modaks she requests me to make it and I keep delaying it just because it’s a tedious job.

I tried only 7 modaks and rest of the dough I shaped Kozhukattai for which I will post recipe a little later.

Unfortunately i had only one remaining for the click because the others were in my kids tummy. I clicked these pictures with my Iphone as the camera battery just got empty. And I did not want to miss posting this. I for Sure will click better pictures and post here, 

 

Here is what we need for making modak.

For the outer modak covering:

· 1 cup rice flour (make sure the flour is glutenous or homemade, here i used iddiyappam flour it works well)

·  1 cup water 
·  A few drops of oil

·   a pinch of salt

For the inner sweet filling:

·   1 cup fresh grated coconut

·    ¾ cup powdered or grated jaggery, for a more sweeter taste, you can add upto 1 cup of powdered jaggery

·    ¼ tsp cardamom powder

·   ½ tsp sesame seeds

·   ½ tsp ghee or oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Making the sweet filling for ukadiche modak:

1. Heat ghee in a pan. Add sesame seeds, cardamom powder, and sauté for a minute.

2.Add grated fresh coconut and powdered/grated jaggery.

3. Mix well and cook this coconut-jaggery mixture on a low flame. The jaggery will melt first.

4. Stir at times and cook this mixture till the moisture from the jaggery begins to dry. Switch off the flame. Don’t overcook as the jaggery because it will harden. Keep this coconut-jaggery filling aside.

5. Keep the filling aside to cool.

Making the outer cover of the Ukadiche modak:

1. In a sauce pan or deep bottom pan add the water, and salt. Keep it on the stove top, let this mixture come to a rolling boil.

2. Reduce the flame and add the rice flour gradually. Quickly stir the rice flour.

3. Stir till all the rice flour is mixed completely with water, here the mixture will look lumpy but that’s how it is.

4. Switch off the stove. Remove the pan from the stove top and then cover this pan with a lid for 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Now take all the dough in a plate or clean counter top gather the dough together and begin to knead it.

6.  The dough will be hot when, you begin to knead. So apply some water on your palms knead the dough very well and smooth.

7. Make small balls from the dough. Roll them smooth with your palms making sure there are no cracks.

8. Just sprinkle some drop of water while kneading the dough if you find them dry. Keep the balls covered with a kitchen towel.

9. Keep water for steaming in a steamer or your steaming vessel before shaping the modaks.

10.  Place a muslin cloth over the steamer so that modak’s do not stick to the vessel, if not this you can even grease it with ghee.

11. Take a small lemon sized ball and flatten it with your fingers to a round disc. Apply a drop of ghee on your palms, while flattening.

12. Place the modak filling in the center.

13. Press the edges as shown in the pic below.

14.  Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough from the top, if you wish to or else just leave it like that. Shape the top like a garlic pod head ;).

15.  Make all the modaks and keep them in a steamer pan making sure to keep at least half inch gap between each modak.

16.  Cover the pan with a lid and steam for 10 to 15 minutes on a low flame..

17.  Once the ukadiche modaks are steamed, drizzle a few teaspoons of ghee on the modaks. the ukadiche modak are ready to be offered to Lord Ganesha, if not just make it for your tummy like the way I did ;).
Note: 
People actually add poppy seeds but here that it is banned i added sesame seeds.

Happy Cooking,

God Bless You all.