Traditional Ukdiche Modak Recipe for Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth

That’s how you make Bappa’s favourite sweet dumplings.

Welcome Bappa with these traditional modaks.

(Photo: The Quint)

(This article is from The Quint's archives and has been republished to mark the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.)

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice flour
A pinch of salt
Oil for greasing
2 cups scraped fresh coconut
1 tablespoon ghee
1 cup grated jaggery
A pinch of green cardamom powder
A pinch of nutmeg (jaiphal) powder
1 tablespoon roasted poppy seeds (khus khus)

Method:

To prepare stuffing, heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add jaggery and stir till it melts.

Stir continuously till the jaggery melts. (Photo: The Quint)

Add coconut, lower heat and mix well. Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and poppy seeds, mix well and cook till the coconut turns golden brown. Transfer on a plate and cool to room temperature.

Make sure the mixture is not overcooked. (Photo: The Quint)

Boil 2 cups water with salt in a non-stick pan. Add rice flour, lower heat and keep stirring for a minute. Cover and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle some more water, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Repeat this process once more.

Stir well in the beginning to make sure no lumps are formed. (Photo: The Quint)

Transfer the mixture to a large plate and knead till the dough is completely smooth and pliable. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

The dough should not stick to your palms. (Photo: The Quint)

Divide the dough into equal portions and shape them into balls. Grease your palms with some oil and spread each ball to form a bowl. Fill with a portion of the stuffing, pleat the edges and gather them together to form a bundle. Pinch to seal the edges at the top.

Pinch the edges one by one. (Photo: The Quint)

Heat sufficient water in a steamer. Place the prepared modaks on a greased perforated plate and steam for 10-12 minutes.

Remove the modaks from the steamer and serve hot. (Photo: The Quint)

Recipe: Chef Anupa Das
Camera: Chintamani Wagh and Divya Talwar
Edit: Veeru Krishan Mohan
Producer: Divya Talwar