The Indian festival season is almost here, and in my family it starts with the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi or Ganpati – a festival to celebrate the birth of Ganesh the Lord of Wisdom. With Ganesh Chaturthi comes a huge list of Indian sweets for me to make for our various family events. This year we are keeping it ultra low key, but nothing will get in the way of our small celebration (COVID safe ofc!).
The legend has it that the Lord of Wisdom loved eating Modak, or Modaka in Kannada, modhakam/kozhakkattai in Tamil or kudumu in Telugu. Among the various names of Ganesh is the name ‘Modakpriya’ meaning the One who loves Modak. As a result, on his apparent birthday the tradition is to make either 7, 11, 21 or any other denominations ending in the number 1 for the Lord.
Before going on, I want to say a huge thank you to those that have requested this recipe! It is because of amazing people like you that I am inspired to make and create. This recipe in particular represents a recipe that was passed down to my mother, and a recipe that the two of us managed to tweak and create our own.
There are 2 types of Modak that are made in India – one that is steamed and one that is fried. Today I’ll be sharing the steamed version, also called Ukadeche Modak.
At home we make 2 versions, one using jaggery (also known as palm sugar or cane sugar) and one using dates. The use of jaggery in the modak is very traditional so a lot of people nowadays use sugar instead. Personally the jaggery variety is my absolute favourite and sugar doesn’t quite do it justice. The date modak is a sugar-free and diabetes friendly alternative – you could also use dried figs with the dates. The sugar-free version came about after my dad was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and more than anything we wanted him to be able to enjoy sweets with us, so we created the date filled modak.
This recipe also requires freshly grated coconut. You can usually find this in packets in grocery stores or local fruit and vegetable markets, or you can save a fair bit of time and money with a frozen variety. Fresh coconut is used in plenty of Indian sweets, however if you have allergies or do not like the flavour of coconut, you could use almond meal instead.
To make these modaks you also require a steamer. We used to use a bamboo steamer, but a stainless steel one like shown in the photo also works great. To line the steamer you want to use either banana leaf, canna lilie leaf or baking paper – but trust me the leaves just make everything better. When using the leaves make sure you lightly brush them with oil to prevent any sticking and this is incredibly important because the modak after steaming become incredibly delicate.
Now the custom with Modak is to serve either 7, 11, 21 or any other number ending in 1 alongside 1 karanji. This karanji is made by folding over the wrapper over your choice of filling to make a half moon shape – so much simpler compared to the modak itself!
My top tips for making modak are as follows
Work the dough quickly
Warm dough is more pliable and helps you make the modak shape better. When it cools too much the dough will start to break away.
2. Grease everything
Use ghee to grease the plate, and the leaves (if using them) to prevent any sticking. If you don’t have ghee, go ahead and use butter.
3. Use sifted rice flour
Super important!! Otherwise your dough will end up lumpy and won’t be pliable to use at all.
4. Use fresh rice flour
Try your best to source fresh flour. It works the best in this recipe.
That’s about it! The rest is all about technique. The first few times I folded a modak, they turned out absolutely ugly looking. The more you practice getting the shaping right, the better you will be.
OH! This is the first time you get to see mum at work with me! Watch us make modak right here:
As always, here is the recipe card. This one is a bit long so I do apologise in advance! Leave a comment if you enjoyed my post and this recipe. I am keen to hear your thoughts, and please do let me know what other recipes you want to see on the blog.
Modak
Equipment
- Steamer (bamboo or stainless steel)
- Large mixing bowl
- Stand mixer or spatula and mixing bowl
Ingredients
Traditional Modak Filling
- 100 g jaggery available at South Asian grocers
- 100 g fresh grated coconut available at Asian and South Asian grocers
- ½ tsp. ground cardamom
Sugar-free Modak Filling
- 60 g chopped medjool dates seeds removed
- 60 g fresh grated coconut available at Asian and South Asian grocers
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
Rice flour wrapper
- 150 g sifted rice flour
- ¾ tsp ghee
- ½ tsp salt
- 150 mL boiling water
Other ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp. ghee
- ghee for greasing
- 2 banana leaves or canna lily leaves if you cannot source these, using baking paper
Instructions
For the Traditional Filling
- In a heavy bottom pan, non-stock pan or a Kadhai heat the jaggery and coconut together, continuously stirring the ingredients with a wooden spoon over a low heat. It is important to keep everything moving to prevent any burning.
- Continue to cook the jaggery and coconut until the coconut has lost it's moisture and the mixture thickens. Remove the pan immediately from the heat if the jaggery starts to burn and keep mixing
- Once the mixture is ready, add the cardamom powder and mix through well
- Remove the filling from the pan and set aside to cool
For the Sugar-free filling
- In a heavy bottom pan, non-stock pan or a Kadhai heat the chopped dates and coconut together, continuously stirring the ingredients with a wooden spoon over a low heat. It is important to keep everything moving to prevent any burning
- Use the wooden spoon to squash the dates as they cook to soften them down completely. This will help them combine well with the coconut to give you a smooth mixture
- Continue to cook the date and coconut until the coconut has lost it's moisture and the mixture thickens. The dates may need a higher heat to cook through and soften, so increase the heat to a low-medium and continue to cook the mixture
- Once the dates have softened completely and the mixture is well combined, add the cardamom and mix through well
- Remove the prepared mixture from the pan and set aside
For the Modak Wrapper
- In a non-stick pot bring the water to a boil, and add the salt and ghee. Mix the pot and turn off the heat
- Once the water is boiling, add the rice flour and mix continuously. The best way to do this is by using a wooden fork or spoon to start mixing the water even before the rice flour is added to the pot.
- Mix everything until just combined. Cover the pot and set aside for 5 minutes to let everything steam
- Set up the dough hook on a stand-mixer. If you don't have one then use a wooden spoon to help knead the dough while still hot. Gently grease the mixing bowl with some ghee
- Remove the dough from pot and place in the mixing bowl. Set the stand mixer to 'Fold' and let the machine knead the dough until smooth. This should take about a minute or so. If doing this by hand it will take about 3-5 minutes – try your best to work quickly to avoid the dough from cooling down too fast
- Work the dough slightly with your hands and set under a wet tea towel, ready to fill and fold
Filling the Modak
- Set 1/4 cup of water and 1 tbsp. of ghee next to your working space. Prepare a plate by greasing it lightly with ghee
- Roll one tablespoon worth of the dough until smooth
- Use your thumb or knuckle to create a little divot in the ball
- Using the dent made as a guide, press the dough between your index and middle finger, and thumb or both hands and work your way around the dough. We are trying to make a little dough ball with a thicker base and thinner sides
- Once the wrapper just starts to crumble, you are ready to fill the modak. Spoon in roughly 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of your choice of filling
- To fold the modak, press some dough between your index and finger and thumb, or using your index finger as a guide to create the 'frills' to push between your thumb and middle finger. Do this all the way around the modak
- Once you've created the frill all the way around, use your fingers to bring together all the folds into the center. Do this gently to prevent any tugging or ripping of the wrapper – the rice flour is very delicate so take your time here. Bring the fold together to make a little point at the top. If there is too much dough, just remove some of the excess
- Set the prepared modak aside on a lightly greased plate
- Repeat steps 1-8 until you have finished the dough (or the fillings)
Steaming the Modak
- Prepare your steamer. If using a bamboo steamer, ensure it fits over your pot properly. Heat the water until boiling and place the top container on the steamer
- Place the banana leaf, canna lily leaf or baking paper at the base of the steamer. If using the leaves then lightly grease these with some ghee
- Arrange the prepared modak into the steamer. Make sure you keep a small space in between the modak – they shouldn't be touching!
- Arrange the steamers onto the pot and cover with a lid. These modaks take 15 minutes to steam. Keep an eye on the water level in the pot ensuring this doesn't evaporate away otherwise the pot will burn
- After 15 minutes of steaming, remove the steamers and set aside for 2 minutes
- Dip your fingers in cold water before quickly and gently retrieve the modak from the steamer and place onto a lightly greased plate
- Serve the modak hot with a little drizzle of ghee. If you are serving these later, set them in the fridge and microwave them gently before serving.
