When the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi arrives in Maharashtra, the sweet shops start churning out different variations of a flavourful sweet, called Ukadiche Modak. This steamed, coconut-filled Ukadiche Modak is actually a sweet rice-flour dumpling which is one of the quintessential Ganesh Chaturthi recipes in Maharashtra. The cute Ganesha, who is the God of wealth and prosperity, apparently goes insane over these plump, sweet steamed dumplings: But don’t Gods evolve? When we have moved to pasta from roti, don’t you think Lord Ganesha would like a wee bit of chef’s styling to his plate too? We think he will be happy to see a bit of innovation in his food. Yes, he will! If you are looking for unique recipes to surprise your guests this Ganesh Chaturthi festival, then this is where you should be looking at. Be warned, this is an advanced level of modak cooking for the modern God and with a healthy dose of global flavour. Inspired by the Polish Pierogi, which is a dumpling of unleavened flour, our fruit-filled modaks will be a massive hit this Ganesh Chaturthi, and we can bet on it. Serve them hot and let your God and guests be surprised with the very first bite. While fruits, sugar and cinnamon cook in a perfect harmony, the stretchy covering melts in your mouth, giving you some texture to go with the heavy, fruity sugar. Trust us, it’s amazing!
Fruit Filled Modak
Time taken: 50 min
Taste-o-meter: Sweet
Ingredients for the outer modak covering:
- Rice flour: 1 cup
- Water: 1.5 cup
- Oil or ghee: 1/4 tsp
- A pinch of salt
Ingredients for the filling:
- Fruits of your choice, chopped into small pieces
- Caster sugar: 1/2 cup
- Grated cinnamon: 2 tbsp
Method:
- In a pan, let a mixture of water, oil and salt come to a boil.
- Reduce the flame and add rice flour gradually. Rice flour needs to be added quickly with stirring, or it forms lumps.
- Stir till all the rice flour is mixed with the water.
- Switch off the flame and cover the pan with a lid for 4-5 min.
- Now gather the dough together in a plate and begin to knead it. The dough will be hot when you begin to knead: so be careful while handling. Applying water in the palm of your hands helps. Make small balls from the dough.
- Keep water for steaming in a pan before you make the fruit modaks.
- Grease the steamer lightly with oil or ghee.
- Take a ball and flatten it with your fingers to a round disc or a shallow bowl shape. Place a portion of chopped fruits, dust it with sugar and add a pinch of cinnamon powder.
- Hold the sides, crimp it in and press the edges as shown in the picture below.
- Place in a steamer and steam for 10-15 min. Serve hot.