Ukadiche Modak Recipe(steamed modak) – one of my favorite sweet are sweet dumplings made from rice flour. The stuffing is mainly made from grated coconut and jaggery. Modaks or modak recipes are quite popular across Maharashtra and some other parts of India. Modaks are made for Lord Ganesha which is suppose to be his favorite food. Guess many of us love modaks. In fact just saying modak makes me hungry that much I love modak.
Since fasting month of shravana is approaching soon. I thought of sharing modak recipe with everyone. In Indian many kind of modaks are made fried modaks, semolina modaks, wheat flour modaks, steamed modaks, mava modaks, chocolate modaks etc.
As making modak recipe is not an easy task at least not for an amateur cook. So it’s better to shape the modak with the help of greased mould. The filling is what I crave for in modak, same filling is used in Goa for patholi sweet and neuris. I am happy I am blessed to be in India to eat so many dishes, desserts and festive sweets.
I have a fascination towards modak since my childhood days. There were huge ganpati pandals where they used to do aarti however all kids including me used to eye the modaks placed before ganesha. Hmmmm we used to wait for the aarti to get over so that each one of us could atleast take one bite from the prasad offered to god.
This recipe comes from my mom and also my aunt. I usually make modak at home as we all love this sweet a lot. I have also made mava modak recipe which I would be posting soon.
Learn How to make Modak recipe step by step:
1. Take water in a vessel add few drops of oil and salt.
2. Boil until they start bubbling.
3. Add the rice flour.
4. Stir on a low flame for 30 secs. Then switch off the gas and mix with a good thick spatula.
5. Now mix nicely. Cover with a lid for five mins.
6. Allow the dough to cool or you could knead the dough while it’s hot with gloves. Just knead the dough and bind together. Let the dough rest and come to room temperature. Just cover the dough with a damp cloth. Ensure you don’t knead the dough too much.
7. Make small marble sized balls and keep aside.
8. In the meanwhile let’s make our filling. Take a heavy bottomed pan add ghee to it.
9. Place on low heat and saute khus khus seed (poppy seed), 1-2 tbsp finely chopped cashews, 1 tbsp charoli / chironji and safed til (sesame seed) for 40-60 secs. I forgot and I fried them later. But you don’t forget add them first for a better flavor.
10. Now add fresh grated coconut, jaggery powder. Keep stirring the mixture for 3-4 mins.
11. Jaggery would melt, the mixture would leave nice aroma. Ensure you don’t over-cook the mixture else the jaggery might harden or get stiff which is not good for your modak.
12. Lastly add cardamom and nutmeg powder. Mix nicely and switch off the gas. Please don’t overcook the mixture.
13. Place some cold water with icecubes. Apply water over your palm. Make small balls from the rice flour. Flatten the balls with your palms gently giving round shape. Ensure that the discs are not too thick nor thin.
14. Put little mixture of coconut-jaggery mixture over the center of round disc. Just see the disc has no cracks.
15. Now form pleats toward the edges or just get the edges together and close towards the top. The modak should look like cone shape from top. Alternatively you could grease the modak mould and shape them in the mould for more convenience. Then give shape with your four finger over the modak. Be careful while making modak as it might break. So be gentle and make them lovingly it will shape well then. I have used the mould to shape for less messy affair.
16. For the first timers just don’t bother about the shape so much. Now place the modaks on a steamer and steam for 7 to 8 mins. You will see that the texture has changed and it’s cooked. I don’t have a steamer so I filled one big vessel with water.
17. Placed a slotted dish or vessel over the water. Then placed dish filled with modaks. Covered with a lid. Steamed for 7-8 mins on medium heat. Alternatively you could steam modaks in pressure cooker for 8-10 mins on low / medium heat without the whistle, vent and weight.
18. Serve modaks as offering Or eat them hot as they taste good when they are freshly made.
If you are looking for more festival recipes then do check shankarpali, chakli, spicy shankarpali, phirni recipe, gulab jamun, batata rassa, sprout usal, chole bhature, puri bhaji, rice flour poori, tandalache bhakri and masala milk.
Modak Recipe card below:
- [b]For modak[/b]
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1.5 cup water
- few drops of oil
- 1 t/s salt
- [b]For Modak Stuffing[/b]
- 1 tbsp white sesame seed (safed til)
- 1 t/s poppy seed (khus khus)
- 1 tbs charoli / chironji (optional)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped cashews (kaju)
- 1 cup fresh grated coconut (nariyal)
- 1/2 cup powdered Or grated jaggery (I used organic jaggery powder) (gur)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 t/s cardamom powder
- 1 t/s nutmeg powder
- Take water in a vessel add few drops of oil and salt.
- Boil until they start bubbling.
- Add the rice flour and stir on a low flame for 30 secs.
- Then switch off the gas and mix with a good thick spatula.
- Now mix nicely. Cover with a lid for five mins.
- Allow the dough to cool or you could knead the dough while it’s hot with gloves. Just knead the dough and bind together. Let the dough rest and come to room temperature. Just cover the dough with a damp cloth.
- In the meanwhile let’s make our filling. Take a heavy bottomed pan add ghee to it.
- Place on low heat and saute khus khus seed (poppy seed), 1 tbsp charoli, 1 tbsp finely chopped cashews and safed til (sesame seed) for 40-60 secs. I forgot and I fried them later. But you don’t forget add them first for a better flavor.
- Now add fresh grated coconut, jaggery powder. Keep stirring the mixture for 3-4 mins.
- Jaggery would melt, the mixture would leave nice aroma. Ensure you don’t over-cook the mixture else the jaggery might harden or get stiff which is not good for your modak.
- Lastly add cardamom and nutmeg powder. Mix nicely. Switch off the gas don’t overcook the mixture.
- Place some cold water with icecubes. Apply water over your palm. Make small balls from the rice flour.
- Flatten the balls with your palms gently giving round shape. Ensure that the discs are not too thick nor thin. Put little mixture of coconut-jaggery mixture over the center of round disc. Just see the disc has no cracks.
- Now form pleats toward the edges or just get the edges together and close them towards the top. The modak should look like cone shape from top. Alternatively you could grease the modak mould and shape them in the mould for more convenience. Then give shape with your four finger. Be careful while making modak as it might break. So be gentle and make them lovingly it will shape well then. I have used the mould to shape for less messy affair.
- For the first timers just don’t bother about the shape so much. Now place the modaks on a steamer and steam for 7 to 8 mins. You will see that the texture has changed and it’s cooked. I don’t have a steamer so I filled one big vessel with water. Placed a slotted dish or vessel over the water. Then placed dish filled with modaks. Covered with a lid. Steamed for 7-8 mins on medium heat. Alternatively you could steam modaks in pressure cooker for 8-10 mins on low / medium heat without the whistle, vent and weight.
Trupti says
I n my Mom prepared it for first time…
They are awesome.
Thanks you for posting:)
maria says
Thankyou Trupti 🙂 I am pleased to know this.
Monika says
what is the option for rice flour?
maria says
Monika traditionally modaks are made from rice flour as they are offered to lord Ganesha.
Pradnya says
Made ukadiche modak for the first time, following your recipe. They were excellent. Thank you for posting the recipe.
maria says
Welcome Pradnya 🙂 pleased to know you made the and liked the modaks 🙂 mission accomplished.
Aurelio Seymore says
Thank you so much, its an encouragement for a beginner like me. A well written step by step recipe. Nice article and Awesome modak.
maria says
Thankyou so much Aurelio 🙂
maria s says
oh ive never heard of these before but thanks for the detailed step by step recipe with photos!
maria says
You are welcome Maria and thankyou for dropping by 🙂
Yogi says
This is certainly worth a try.. will try this for sure.. bookmarked it !! 🙂
maria says
thanks do try them surely 🙂
Ash- foodfashionparty says
OH my God, Coconut modak is so good. I can’t wait to make it for Ganesh chathurthi, which is coming up soon.
Thanks for getting us into a festive mood..
maria says
Thanks so much Ash 🙂