Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations would simply be incomplete without the delectable dose of modaks. The beauty of this prasad is that not only is it scrumptious, but it can be concocted in so many ways! Think steamed for that authentic taste and deep fried for a bit of indulgence. Executive Sous Chef, Vilas Dhankute, Grand Mercure Bangalore lets us in on two different but equally delicious ways to prepare the modak.
Ukadiche Modak
A toothsome modak made with the goodness of traditional ingredients such as rice flour, coconut and jaggery. Steaming it further fuses all the flavours together and makes it a healthier option.
Ingredients:
For the ukad dough:
- Rice flour – ½ cup
- Warm water – 2/3 cup
- Salt – pinch
- Ghee – 1 tsp
For the stuffing:
- Shredded coconut – ½ cup
- Jaggery – ¼ cup
- Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp.
- Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
- Assorted nuts – 1 tbsp.
Method:
Preparation of the ukad dough:
- Take the rice flour.
- Boil a 2/3rd cup of water. Add a pinch of salt, tsp of ghee and rice flour. Mix well.
- Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Preparation of the stuffing:
- Roast the poppy seeds on the tawa.
- Mix jaggery, coconut and poppy seeds well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Finally, add cardamom powder and nuts.
Preparation of the modak:
- Take ukad and with a wet hand, knead the dough to a soft consistency.
- Split the dough into equal sized balls.
- Pat the ball into a small bowl sized shape, place the stuffing in centre of dough and start to make plates around the stuffing.
- Gather all the plates at the centre of stuffing and try to seal the edges.
- Heat water in an idly cooker. Put one small round pot and keep the SS plate on top of the pot. Place the wet muslin cloth on top of the plate and place the modaks on top of muslin cloth. Keep enough space between two modaks.
- Steam this for 10 minutes on a medium heat.
- Serve warm with ghee.
Fried Modak
In this recipe, rawa is used for the dough and the delicacy is deep-fried to give it that irresistible taste. After all, isn’t the festivities the perfect time to indulge?
Ingredients:
For the stuffing:
- Coconut (grated) – 1 cup
- Jaggery – ½ cup
- Green cardamom – ¼ tsp
For the dough:
- All-purpose flour – 1 cup
- Rawa – ¼ cup
- Salt – a pinch
- Oil – 1 tbsp.
- Milk – 3 to 4 tbsps.
- Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
For the stuffing:
- Add the coconut in a pan and cook it for few minutes.
- Add jaggery and cardamom powder. Mix it well.
- Remove this from fire and keep it aside to cool down.
For the dough:
- Add the all-purpose flour, rawa and salt in a bowl.
- Add a tablespoon of oil and mix well.
- Add milk little by little and knead it into a smooth dough.
- Cover the dough with a damp muslin cloth and keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
For the preparation of the modak:
- Divide the dough into small balls.
- Flatten the ball with your palms and roll the flatten ball with the rolling pin into 4-inch diameter circles. Keep the edges little thinner than the centre part.
- Place spoon full of stuffing in the centre of the dough, apply some milk to the edges with your fingertips.
- Fold the edges with the help of your finger or use the modak shape mould.
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat, fry the modak till its golden brown.
- Keep staring the modak for even colour.
- Then remove it on a plate and let it cool down completely.
- Served cold.
Wishing you all a happy and delicious Ganesh Chaturthi!
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