उकडीचे मोदक | Ukadiche Modak (with and without mold)

Prep time 5 min	Cooking time 60 min
Cousine / Course Indian-Sweet	Servings 21

Ingredients – Modak filling

• तूप / घी / Ghee – 1 tbsp
• खसखस / Poppy seeds – 1 tsp
• नारळ / नािरयल / Fresh Coconut grated / desigated – 2 cup
• गुड़ / Jaggery crushed – 1 cup
• बदाम / Almonds crushed – 2 tbsp
• जायफळ / Nutmeg – a pinch
• इलायची / Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Preparing Modak filling

1. Heat pan on low-medium heat, add Ghee
2. Once the Ghee is melted, add खसखस / Poppy seeds, sauté for half minute
3. Add coconut and mix well, sauté for about 2-3 min
4. Add crushed Jaggery, mix well and stir till jaggery melts
5. Cook till all moisture is absorbed
6. Add crushed almonds, nutmeg, cardamom powder and mix well
7. Filling is ready! Turn off heat, set aside and let it cool

Ingredients – Dough

• तांदूळ पीठ / चावल आटा / Rice flour -1.5 cup
• पाणी / Water – 1.5 cup
• मीठ / नमक / Salt – 1/4 tsp
• साखर / शक्कर / Sugar – 1/2 tsp
• दूध / Milk – 2 tbsp

Preparing Dough

1. Boil water, add salt, sugar, milk to boiling water and stir well and lower heat to medium
2. Add rice flour to water, mix well, break all lumps
3. Cover and cook for medium heat. After 1 min turn off heat, keep covered for 10 min
4. After 10 min, transfer dough mixture to flat grease surface / plate, dough would still be hot at this time use spatula to smash dough
5. Massage the dough with hands, wetting your palms occasionally with cold water helps with handling hot dough, break lumps, it take 4-5 min to get the perfect lump free dough, makes it easy to shape the modak
6. Cover the dough with cloth to avoid it getting dry

Making Modak – Traditional way(without mold)

1. Take small portion of dough, use wet finger to shape the portion to flat thin round.
2. Fold and pinch the edge of this round, so that it sticks together, repeat this procedure all around the edge, see image below for reference, it will form a shape of bowl.

3. Fill 1-2 spoons of filling to the prepared dough bowl
4. Turn the modak in your palms while bringing all the edges together,

5. Seal the opening gently

6. Repeat the steps for remaining modaks Cover the prepared modak under cloth to prevent drying and cracking

Making Modak – with Mold

1. Apply little ghee to the mold from inside, take small portion of dough stufff inside the modak mold, remove excess dough.
2. Make it hollow by slowly pressing your finger in the mold and press the dough to the walls of the mold by your finger.

3. Remove any excess dough came out of the mold
4. Add 1-2 soons of filling to the hollow modak, take small amount of dough to cover the opening and seal it properly

5. Remove modak from mold, cover under cloth to prevent drying and cracking
6. Repeat the process for remaining modaks

Steaming Modak

1. Boil water in steamer on high heat
2. Grease the steamer pan lightly with ghee, place modaks on steamer pan
3. Cover the pan and steam for 10 min
4. After 10 min turn off the heat, remove the lead and wait for 1 min before removing the modak from steaming pan. cooling helps with removing modaks easily

Tips

1. To avoid dryness of the dough, massage dough while its hot
2. Cover prepared dough and modak with cloth to avoid drying and cracking
3. Dry coconut can also be used as an alternative

How to serve

1. Serve warm with ghee