Ganapati festival feast is synonymous with Modak. Lord Ganesha’s favourite food…Taste it and you know why!!!
Majority of the households in Maharashtra make these beautifully shaped (the shape can only be called as-Modak shape, no other shape describes it better!!) mouthwatering Modak during Ganesh festival
I have very fond memories associated with Modak. When I was at my mom’s place ,on Ganesh Chaturthi (first day of Ganesh festival) my Mom would make the dough for the Modaks and since it has to be shaped and filled when hot, we all -my father, brother and myself- would help her make the Modaks. It was a fun family activity! I have this beautifal picture etched in my memory forever!
Ingredients
For the cover:
- 1 cup fine Rice flour freshly made
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oil
For the filling:
- 1 cup coconut freshly scrapped -only the white portion
- 1 cup jaggery grated
- 2 tsp Khuskhus (poppy seeds) roasted
Servings: modaks
Instructions
- First make the Stuffing. Put the Coconut and jaggery in a heavy bottom pan and cook on medium flame, stiriing in between. Cook till the jaggery melts and the mixture becomes homogenous.
- Add the roasted poppy seeds and cook for few more minutes.Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
- Now make the cover.The cover has to be made a bit carefully. Place 1 cup water in a pan and boil it. Once it boils add salt and oil to it . Lower the heat, gradually add the rice flour with one hand and stir the mixture continuously with the other till all the flour is incorporated.Take care that no lumps are formed in the mixture. Take it off the heat, cover and keep for 1-2 minutes. Remove the dough on a flat surface and knead well with your hands while it is still hot. You can apply a little oil to your hands to avoid the dough from sticking.
- This is a very important step. You have to knead the dough properly to avoid the cover from cracking. Now take a small lemon sized ball from the dough and keep the remaining dough covered with a wet kitchen towel.(The remaining dough should not be allowed to cool) This is where any extra help is welcome 🙂
- Flatten the small ball shaped dough with both your hands like a poori.Do not make it too thin. Now hold the flat dough in your left hand and add the coconut stuffing.Apply little oil to your right hand and pinch the edges of the flattened dough at 4-5 places.
- Bring them together to join them at the centre of the Modak. Shape resembles that of garlic bulb from top
- Working quickly, repeat this process for the remaining dough and make more Modaks before the dough cools down. If you are alone you can guess how fast you have to make it!!!
- After all the Modaks have been made steam them in a steamer or Take a steel sieve.Grease it with oil. Keep the Modaks one by one in it taking care that they do not stick to each other.
- Keep this sieve on a steamer(You can use a deep vessel with 1/3rd water.) Cover the Modaks and cook for about 12-13 minutes.
- Congrats..You have just made one of the most delicious traditional Maharashtrian Sweets!
- Top each hot steaming Modak with Ghee generously
Hey Madhuli,
I followed your comment to your blog 🙂
Happy Ganesh Chathurthi, I made Kozhakattai too…our version of modak, just that mom sent me the flour and the pooran, and our modak covers are much thinner. But they all taste the same…taste good!
Good to land up here, from where are you blogging? Your profile doesnt reveal!
@Hey Nandita, Thanks for your nice words.I am in Nasik.
Sahi. Bare watle. Ukdiche modak maze awadte.
@Wish I could send you some 🙁
Happy Ganesh chaturthi Madhuli. Your modak looks great :).
@Thanks a lot shilpa
What a mouth-watering post! I have such a craving for modaks now! 🙂
Happy Ganesh Chaturti – I will visit again!
@Thanks a lot. Please do visit and comment, need that encouragement
Nice step by step post. Your modak looks amazing…
@Jayshree I am glad you liked it.Thanks for your nice words.
Hi ,
Nice Modak. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
@Thanks.
Hi Madhuli,
Detailed post about modhaks.
THANKS for sharing.
Vineela
@Thanks vineela for visiting and all your encouraging comments
Had modaks when I was a child at someone’s Ganpati puja. I was desparately trying to find a recipe that I could easily follow and try out this exotic Maharshtrian modak..will let u know how it turns out!
Hi..I made ukdichye modak as described in your blog…and they turned out quite well…except that i couldnt get the perfect “modak” shape….i guess it needs more practice to get it right..anyways.at least they tasted like modak….thanks for sharing the recioe..
@ I am so glad that they came out well. yes it needs a little bit of practice to get the shape right-or you can try to find some ready made dyes for modaks.thanks for letting me know.
Hey fabulous post 🙂 The modaks look yummmmmy 🙂
I am borrowing this recipe and posting on my site with due credits to u n ur mom..
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 🙂
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi,
I am in Dubai right now but have all the ingredients ready. I hope they turn out well. I will try to make them today.
maza sasar nashik la aahe.
hi im Bhavani im in Michigan i have the stuffing ready im going to make kozhakattai tamilian version of modak thanks for ur recipe wish me luck happy Ganesh Chathurthi
When you steam the modaks, can you use a pressure cooker without whistle? Do you immerse the modaks in water at all during the steaming? I am planning to prepare these tonight with your recipe. Hope they turn out well…will let you know. Thanks!
Modaks look very very inviting 🙂 Loved ur food blog and the wonderful recipes displayed here!
I have posted my version of Modak (Kozhukattai) in my blog My Scrawls. Do visit my blog in ur free time. Would be happy to receive ur comments 🙂
sono naomi e dico e
Nice! I followed your recipe…the modaks turned out amazing…I had ~25 modaks…out of 25, only 3 broke when steaming, I had 22 amazing ones 🙂
Hi, I read you recipe ..Really awesome..I just hope, I can really make some delicious modaks & impress my fiance & mother-in-law 🙂
Nice and simple :))
Thanks
Thanks a lot!! Waho u really took lot of efforts to write all this & help all of us out….
thanks Sonika.. I also put it up here so that I can refer back here in case I forget the measurement, since I make them only once a year!:)
hey…..jus try to add this to stuffing…..2-3 powdered kaali mirch…….half table spoon of jayefal powder….its tastes awesom……..
vow pari thanks for the tip..will surely try this next time.
thanks for nice n simple method ;;;;;I just did it …….but i add little mawa in stuffing its taste awesom………………
Thanks Shweta..I love adding mawa too…love the richness it adds to the modak
Thank you for the Recipe and the pics.. They have got my gastric juices flowing.
Thanks for the recipe … the first time I was able to make these modaks with some success 🙂
🙂
Nice article and Awesome modak. It is kind of hard to prepare it and buy it outside. At mealnut, we home deliver modak prepared by experts like you. If you want it to be home delivered, order on mealnut.com
Very simple n turned out yummy. Hv been trying modaks fr quite some time now…this time was the best…thank u so much.:)