Ukadiche Modak

This recipe is very close to my heart- I remember as a child helping mom & my grandmother & lending a helping hand in making the modaks on the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi. All the family members used to gather at my grandfather's place to celebrate the festival, the ladies of the house used to make more than 80 modaks. Modaks is a rice dumpling made with coconut & jaggery filling and steamed, served with ghee (Clarified Butter). Ukadiche means steamed therefore this name. This is probably the only Maharshtrian sweet dish which I gorge on from the bottom of my heart & can never enough of it each time I make it. I'm still in the learning stage of make the perfect modaks but I'm sure will get the perfect shape someday. Dedicating this recipe to my beloved aaji (grandma) whom I miss, each time I make this delicacy.

(Recipe contributed by my mother, she makes the bestest Ukadiche Modak in this world. I don't think I can ever make modaks like hers)

Photographed By: Rohit Khadilkar

Find my recipe posted on SpiceWok, Pune http://www.spicewok.com/recepie_detail.php?id=334&cuisine=Ganapati%20Modaks

 

For the covering

1. 1½ cup Rice Flour
2. 1 cup Water
3. 2 tsp Ghee (clarified butter)
4. A pinch of Salt

For the filling

1. 1½ cup grated Coconut
2. 1 cup Jaggery
3. 1 tsp Poppy Seeds, roasted
4. 1 tsp Cardamom Powder

For the filling

1. Mix grated coconut & jaggery together and keep aside for 10 mins
2. In a pan add this mixture and on a low flame cook it until jaggery melts
3. Add cardamom powder and roasted poppy seeds
4. Filling is ready, keep aside to cool
5. For the covering
6. Boil 1 cup water, add ghee to it
7. Add rice flour to boiling water and mix well stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed
8. Add salt, mix well and cook covered for 2-3 mins
9. Remove from heat and knead well for 5-10 minutes into a soft flour when its hot
10. This dough is called Ukad and hence the name!

Method for making Modaks

1. Divide the dough into small balls
2. Roll each ball to size of puris
3. Place this on the palm and add some filling to it
4. Bring together the ends in form of plates and form a tip and seal. A perfect looking modak should form 7 plates.
5. Repeat the procedure for rest of the modaks
6. Put these modaks in a thin muslin & place this in a steamer/cooker without a whistle and steam for 15-20 mins.
7. Serve hot modaks with Ghee.