Ukdiche Modak - Sweet Indian Momos

In India, Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the biggest festivals and yes it’s celebrated across the globe among all Indians. On this auspicious occasion, Ganapati Bappa’s favorite Modak was prepared by devotees as a ‘Prashad’ (offerings). This sweet-savory is packed with the goodness of coconut, jaggery, and dry fruits. These high glycemic index sweet Indian momos are severed hot with a lot of ghee. The nutritional value of the Ukadiche Modak is high due to the ample amount of fiber from coconut and iron from jaggery. The white outer covering is made up of rice flour, which gives a nice texture while eating.

I have never prepared this dish until I got married my mother-in-law taught me how to prepare it and eat it. So, whenever I used to prepare Ukadiche Modak I had a lot of memories running in mind about her. Now my little daughter enjoys watching and helping me while preparing it.

Let’s see how this traditional recipe which has been passed from generation to generation as a heritage of food will be prepared…

Ingredients

For The Outer Modak Covering

• 1 cup / 150 grams rice flour

• 1.5 cups water

• ¼ teaspoon ghee or oil

• ¼ teaspoon salt

For Inner Sweet Filling Of Modak

• 1 cup / 100 grams fresh grated coconut

• 1 cup / 200 grams powdered or grated jaggery

• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder or 6 to 7 green cardamoms, powdered in a mortar-pestle & husks removed

• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder (jaiphal powder) – optional

• ½ teaspoon poppy seeds (khus khus) – optional

• ½ teaspoon ghee or oil

• 1 tablespoon rice flour – optional

Preparation

1. Making Sweet Stuffing

• Heat ghee in a pan. Keep flame to a low. Add poppy seeds. Fry for some seconds till the poppy seeds start crackling.

• Then add grated fresh coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder, and grated nutmeg. Mix well and cook this coconut-jaggery mixture on a low flame. The jaggery will melt first.

• Stirring often cook this mixture for 7 to 9 minutes till the moisture from the jaggery begins to dry. Switch off the flame. Don’t overcook as the jaggery then hardens. Keep this coconut-jaggery filling aside. On cooling, the mixture will thicken more.

• You can also add a bit of rice flour to this mixture. This is an optional step. The rice flour helps to absorb moisture if any from the filling. Keep the filling aside to cool.

1. Making Rice Flour Dough

• In a pan add water, oil or ghee, and salt. Keep it on the stovetop. Let this mixture come to a boil.

• Reduce the flame and add the rice flour gradually. Quickly stir and mix the flour with the water. Stir till all the rice flour is mixed with the water.

• Switch off the flame. Remove the pan from the stovetop and then cover this pan with a lid for 4 to 5 minutes.

• Now take all the dough on a large plate or thali or in a bowl. Gather the dough together and begin to knead it.

• The dough will be hot when you begin to knead. So apply some water to your palms and knead the dough. Knead the dough very well. If you feel the dough looks dense or hard or dry, then just add a few teaspoons of warm water and continue to knead.

• Make small balls from the dough. Roll the balls till smooth in your palms. You can also apply some water to your palms while rolling the balls. Keep the balls covered with a kitchen towel. The balls should be smooth in appearance and should not have any cracks.

3. Making Modak Without Mould

• Take a ball and flatten it with your fingers to a round disc or a shallow bowl shape. You can apply ghee or oil to your palms while flattening. Place the sweet filling in the center.

• Flute and press the edges. Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough from the top, if any. Shape and taper the top of the modak with your fingers.

Making Modak With Mould

• Grease the modak mold with a bit of ghee or oil. Then close or lock the mold. Put the dough ball inside the mold and press it so that a space is made. Place the sweet stuffing.

• Cover the bottom with a small piece of dough. Press and smoothen it sealing the modak.

• Open or unlock the modak mold. Remove the modak gently from the mold. Shape all modaks this way with mold. Keep the shaped modak covered with a napkin so that the rice dough does not dry out. Make all the modak this way.

Steaming Modak

• Grease a steamer pan lightly with oil or ghee. Place the shaped modak in the greased pan with some space between them. Cover with a kitchen napkin.

• Take 2 to 2.5 cups water in a pot, pressure cooker, or an Instant Pot steel insert. Place a trivet or a rack. Heat the water on a high flame until begins to boil. For instant pot, use the sauté option and let the water begin to boil.

• The water should be hot or boiling when you place the modak in the large pan. Cover the pan and steam modak for 10 to 15 minutes on a medium-low flame. On the Instant Pot, use the steam function on high for steaming and keep the steam vent in a venting position so that the steam releases while steaming. Use a stopwatch to set the time to 10 or 12 minutes.

• Once the ukadiche modak is steamed, you can drizzle a few teaspoons of ghee on them. Some modak may crack while shaping or steaming, but it is fine. You can forgive yourself if you are making this first time.

Offer this to Ganesha and relish the taste by serving hot with a lot of ghee.