Ukadiche Modak / Modhaka

Ukadiche Modak means steamed Modak in Marathi.  I tried my hands on preparing Modak - one of the favourite dish of Lord Ganesha.  It is said he loves to eat sweets. 'Modak' is the most famous and most typical food preparation of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in the state of Maharashtra.  The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chathurthi is considered incomplete without offering Modak (called as Modaka in Kannada) to the Lord.   There are two ways of preparing Modak one is frying and other is steaming, this is the steamed.

Ingredients:

For the covering:

1 cup Rice Flour

1 cup Water

1 tsp Ghee

A pinch of Salt

For the filling:

1 cup Coconut, shredded

½ cup Jaggery, grated

1 tsp Cardamom Powder

*Extra ghee while making the covering.

Method :

For the filling :

Add jaggery and coconut in a heavy bottom pan and cook on medium flame, stirring in between till jaggery and coconut mixture becomes homogenous.  Add powdered cardamom just before removing from fire. Keep this mixture aside for cooling.

For the covering :

Take 1 cup of water in a pan and boil it add salt and ghee.  Once it boils add rice flour while stirring the mixture in other hand (you can take somebody’s help if required).   Take care no lumps should be formed. Immediately cover properly for 2-3 minutes so it cooks in its own steam. Remove the dough and knead it well with hand or press it with the bottom of any bowl while its still hot so that all lumps are removed.   Divide the dough into small balls.  Pat the ball slowly with the help of fingers of one hand keeping the ball on other hand in such a way that it takes the shape of a small cup (smear the palm with little ghee or water to keep the dough moist), now fill ¾th part of this cup with the coconut filling, make a pleats of the edges of the cups and gather all the pleats together to the top.  Repeat the same procedure for balance dough. Take care the modaks should not be left out as it will get dry, keep it covered with wet cloth.  Place this modak in the idli vessel or cooker (without whistle) for steaming approximately 15 minutes.

Serve hot with ghee. Yummy………

Things to be taken care:

Rice powder prepared at home is better, for this rice should be washed and soaked in water for 1 hour.  Dried well and then grinded to fine powder.  This gives nice white colour plus texture to the modak.

Sieve the rice flour well, atleast twice before the preparation for covering.

Use freshly scrapped coconut.

Keep the gas in sim while adding rice flour.

The dough should be neither too sticky nor too dry.

Deep the base of the modak in water and place it on wet cloth or banana leaf in steamer.

Modak can also be kept on turmeric leaves in the steamer; it will enhance the flavour of the modak.

Dry fruits, food colour, kesar can be added for tastes and colour.