Ukadiche modak is one of the most popular modak variety made during Ganesh Chaturthi festival in maharashtra. This year Ganesh Chaturthi is starting on 22nd august 2020 …And as usual will last for 10 days.
A happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all the readers of my blog. I pray that bhagwan ganesha bestows prosperity, luck and blessings to everyone
Ingredients
For The Outer Modak Covering
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1.5 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon oil or ghee
- 1 to 2 pinch salt
For Inner Sweet Filling Of Modak
- 1.5 cups fresh grated coconut
- 1 cup powdered or grated jaggery – for a more sweeter taste, you can add up to 1.25 cups of powdered jaggery
- 4 to 5 green cardamoms powdered in a mortar-pestle, about ¼ to ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 pinch nutmeg powder or grated numeg (jaiphal powder)
- ½ teaspoon poppy seeds (khus khus) – optional
- ½ teaspoon ghee or oil
- ½ teaspoon rice flour (optional)
Instructions
Making Sweet Filling
- Heat ghee in a pan. Keep flame to a low. Add poppy seeds, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Fry for some seconds till the poppy seeds start crackling.
- Then add grated fresh coconut and powdered jaggery or grated jaggery.
- Mix well and cook this coconut-jaggery mixture on a low flame. The jaggery will melt first.
- 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 then hardens. Keep this coconut-jaggery filling aside. On cooling the mixture will thicken more.
- You can also add a bit of rice flour to this mixture. This is an optional step. The rice flour helps to absorb moisture, if any from the filling.
- Keep the filling aside to cool.
Making Outer Cover Of Modak
- In a pan or dekchi add the water, oil or ghee and salt. Keep it on the stove top.
- Let this mixture come to a boil.
- Reduce the flame and add the rice flour gradually. Quickly stir and mix the flour with the water.
- Stir till all the rice flour is mixed with the water.
- Switch off the flame. Remove the pan from the stove top and then cover this pan with a lid for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Now take all the dough in a large plate or thali or in a bowl. Gather the dough together and begin to knead it.
- The dough will be hot when, you begin to knead. So apply some water on your palms and knead the dough. Knead the dough very well.
- If you feel the dough looks dense or hard or dry, then just add a few teaspoons of warm water and continue to knead.
- Make small balls from the dough. Roll the balls till smooth in your palms.
- You can also apply some water on your palms, while rolling the balls. Keep the balls covered with a kitchen towel. The balls should be smooth in appearance and should not have any cracks.
Making Modak
- Before you start shaping the modak, keep 2 to 2.5 cups water for steaming in a large pan. You can even shape the modak first and then keep water to boil. Cover the shaped modak with a clean kitchen towel before you begin to steam them.
- Grease a steamer pan lightly with oil or ghee.
- Take a ball and flatten it with your fingers to a round disc or a shallow bowl shape. You can apply ghee or oil in your palms while flattening.
- Place the sweet filling in the center.
- Press the edges as shown in the picture below. You can also press the edges first and then place the sweet filling.
- Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough from the top, if any. Shape and taper the top of the modak with your fingers.
Steaming Modak
- Make all the modak this way. Place a rack or stand in the large pan. Then place the steamer pan with modak on it. The water should be hot or boiling when you place the modak in the large pan.
- Cover the large pan with a lid and steam for 10 to 15 minutes on a low flame.
- Some modak may crack whilst shaping or steaming, buts it is alright. You can forgive yourself if you are making this first time.
- Once the modak are steamed, drizzle a few teaspoons of ghee on them. The ukadiche modak are ready to be offered to bhagwan ganesha.
