Ganesh Chaturthi Special : Modak (Indian Sweet) Recipe (Mehezabin and Shraddha)

Ingredients

For the stuffing

• 1 bowl grated coconut
• 1/2 bowl sugar
• 1/2 bowl jaggery
• Dry fruits (almonds,raisins, pistachio, cashews) as per your choice
• 2 to 3 tsp pure ghee
• A pinch of kesar, cardamom and nutmeg powder
• 1 tsp poppy seeds (khas khas)
• 2 tsp mawa (optional)

For the cover

• 2 bowls rice flour
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tsp of oil or ghee
• Hot water as per requirement

Method

For the stuffing

• Heat ghee in a pan. Add poppy seeds and saute for a minute.
• Add grated coconut, sugar, jaggery (broken into small pieces or grated), cardamom and nutmeg powder and all dry fruits. Mix thoroughly.
• Cook till all moisture from the sugar and jaggery begins to dry.
• It takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the mixture to dry on low flame.
• Do not overcook as it will harden up and lose its taste.
• Stir every 2 to 3 minutes till it turns golden yellow.
• You can add more ghee if the stuffing becomes too dry.

For the cover

• Boil water.
• Add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of ghee to the flour and mix it thoroughly.
• Add 1 tsp of ghee in the boiling water.
• Add the dough to the boiling water. Lower heat. Mix well.
• Cover the vessel keep it for 5 minutes on low flame to let the rice cook.
• Knead the dough into a smooth paste without lumps.
• You need to knead it while it is still hot. You may apply some oil or ghee on your palms.
• If you feel the dough looks dry and hard, add some hot water and continue to knead till the dough turns smooth. 

Making the Modaks

• Apply pinch of oil/ghee on your palms and make small balls of the dough.
• Flatten it to give it the shape of a katori or cone.
• Press the edges of the katori-shaped dough with slight pressure at every 1 inch distance.
• The edges of the katori will now look like the petals of the flower.
• Put some stuffing in the katori and close the ends to give them a shape like fresh figs or momos.
• Take a leaf of banana or a soft cloth like muslin, and apply bit oil/ghee on it and place it in the steamer pan.
• Place all the modaks on the leaf or cloth and close the lid.
• Steam it for 5 to 6 minutes and turn off the flame.
• Your delicious modaks are ready to be served.

Tip: Do not over steam the modaks, else they will become hard.

For Fried Modaks

• Instead of steaming the stuffed modaks, heat oil in the frying pan and deep fry the modaks on low or medium flame till they turn golden brown from all sides.