Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are in a week and this festival is incomplete without Modak, Lord Ganesha’s favorite food.
Aaji (grandmom) and Mom make Ukadiche modak as prasad on the first day of Vinayak Chaturthi. That sweet aroma would fill the house and make it smell divine. Visiting relatives and friends to worship Ganpati Bappa, and eating a variety of modak, peda, and delicious Maharashtrian food is what sums up this festival for me. I miss the festive feels and experience but I make up with some modak and yummy food on this auspicious occasion!! Here are some other modak recipes to try this festive season Fried Modak, Chocolate Modak, and Kesar Modak.
What is Modak
Modak is a popular Maharashtrian sweet made during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi Festival as an offering to Lord Ganesha. It is also popular as Lord Ganesha’s favorite food. There are two types of Modak, fried and steamed kind. Fried ones are also known as talniche modak and steamed modak as Ukadiche modak in the Marathi language. Both varieties are stuffed with a sweet filling made of coconut, jaggery, and cardamom. Steamed modak is made with a covering of rice flour while fried ones with wheat or all-purpose flour. In this post, I’m sharing the Ukadiche modak recipe. You can also try the fried modak recipe.
What are Ukadiche Modak
Ukadiche Modak is a steamed (sweet) dumpling where ukadiche means “steamed” or “that is steamed” and modak is the name for a dumpling of this patented shape. Steamed modak is made with a covering of steamed rice flour, also known as Ukad) and stuffed with a sweet filling made of coconut, jaggery, and cardamom. They are soft and doughy on the outside and sweet and coconutty on the inside and are extremely delicious. Making modak can be a bit intimidating considering it needs practice. But not anymore!! Here is a detailed guide on how to make Ukadiche modak with all the tips, tricks, and a video. Hope you find this helpful!
Recipe Ingredients
For the Coconut Jaggery Filling -
Coconut - Traditionally fresh coconut is used to make Ukdiche modak but frozen, or desiccated coconut can be used too. I’ve used frozen coconut that I’ve thawed to room temperature before cooking. Jaggery - Use grated jaggery for this recipe as it makes it easier and quicker to melt and mix. Jaggery gives an authentic taste but you can also replace it with sugar. Flavoring - You will also need some cardamom powder and saffron (optional) for flavor Nuts - These are optional but I like adding some chopped cashews to the filling.
For the Outer Covering -
Rice flour - Use a fine variety of rice flour. Ensure it’s fresh with no lingering old smell to it. You can also sift the rice flour. In addition, we will also need salt, ghee, and water.
How to Make Ukadiche Modak (Stepwise Photos)
Prepare coconut jaggery filling :
1 - Heat a pan on medium heat and dry roast the coconut for 5 mins to dry out the moisture if any. I’ve used frozen, thawed coconut. Fresh coconut can be used too. 2 and 3 - Add the grated jaggery, and mix till it’s melted and well combined. Stir in the cardamom powder, saffron, and cashew pieces. 4 - Keep stirring continuously (approximately 2 mins) until the mixture is almost dry. Turn off the heat and keep it aside to cool slightly. Don’t overcook the jaggery coconut filling else it will turn hard. While the coconut jaggery mixture (also known as saran) cools, let’s make the outer covering.
Prepare the outer covering (Ukad/dough) :
1 - In a pot or saucepan, water, add salt and 1 teaspoon of ghee. Bring it to a boil. 2 - Stir in the rice flour and mix well using a spoon or spatula. 3. - The mixture should be soft, lumpy, and crumbly. Turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let this mixture sit for 5 mins. 4 - Transfer the rice flour mixture to a plate and allow it to cool a bit enough to handle but still warm. 5 - Knead the dough for 5 mins using 1-2 tablespoon water (or as needed) and 1-2 teaspoon ghee into a smooth, soft dough. It shouldn’t be cracked or crumbly. Keep covered at all times with a wet cloth to prevent it from drying. 6 to 7 - Divide dough and coconut mixture into equal portions. 8 - You can either make a modak with your hands or use molds. There are two types of mold available aluminum ones and plastic. I have used the aluminum one for this Ukadiche modak recipe.
How to make modak using a mold
If you are a beginner, I recommend you use a mold to make a modak. Molds give the perfect shape and modak does not bread when steamed. 9 - Grease your plate or steamer basket. Open the mold and apply ghee to the inside of the mold. Place one dough ball and close the mold. 10 - From the open side, start pressing and spreading the dough using fingers as thin as possibly can but not too thin. The excess dough will come out of the mold, either cut it or leave it there. It can be used to close the modak. 11 - Place a portion of the coconut jaggery filling in the hollow. 12 - Fold over the excess covering to close the modak. Remove any excess dough that you see on the joints of the mold. 13 to 16 - Open the mold and take the modak out gently. Place it on a greased steamer basket. Add 1-2 threads of saffron on top of each modak (optional step) Continue similarly making the remaining modak. Ensure to grease your mold before making the next modak.
How to make modak without mold (using hands)
Take one ball and starting at the center, flatten and spread it in disc or bowl as thin as you can without breaking it. Place the filling in it and then make pleats. Bring all edges together and then join them. Remove the extra covering and shape the top to a point (peak). Place in the greased steamer basket. Check out the video to see how to make modak without mold.
Steaming Modak
You can steam the modak in a pressure cooker, in an Instant Pot, or on the stovetop. Steam in multiple batches depending on how many modak the steamer basket can hold. Do not overcrowd. I did 7-8 at a time. To steam, Add 2 cups of water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Place the steamer basket with modak inside. Close and cook covered for 10-12 mins. Turn off the heat, and allow to cool for 5 mins in the pot itself. Take the basket out and cool it for another 5 minutes. Then transfer to a plate. Drizzle with some ghee and enjoy!!. Please see the recipe card below for detailed instructions on steaming using a pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop. Ukadiche Modak is ready!! Drizzle some ghee and serve warm!!
Tips to make soft Modak covering/shell
Use fresh and fine rice flour. Sift it before using it for a smoother dough. Add sufficient water when steaming the dough. 1:1 water to rice flour ratio. The exact amount of water may vary slightly depending on the rice flour, so adjust as needed. Knead the dough well (the most important step) with a couple of tablespoons of water and ghee to make it soft, smooth, and pliable. Cracked dough is an indication of less water. Keep the dough covered with a moist cloth or paper towel to prevent it from drying. Dry dough will make shaping difficult and usually, modak turns out dense and chewy after steaming. For shaping modak, roll or press the dough thin and evenly enough that it doesn’t tear. The thinner the shell, the softer the modak will be. Thick covering takes more time to cook and doesn’t taste well. Use modak molds, they make the shaping process easy compared to using hands. Grease the molds to prevent the flour from sticking to the molds and breaking. Mom’s tip: Dip the modak in water before steaming for that soft melt-in-mouth modak.
Tips for Making Perfect Modak Filling
You can use fresh, frozen, or desiccated coconut for the filling. If you are using desiccated coconut, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to bring in the moisture. For frozen pre-shredded coconut, dry roast for 5 mins to evaporate the excess moisture before adding jaggery. The filling should be moist and sticky but not watery. Don’t overcook the jaggery coconut filling else it will turn hard. If it does, just add a couple of tablespoons of water and reheat until soft. Depending on the color of the jaggery, the color of the saran (filling) will vary. Dark jaggery will result in dark saran. Adding nuts (cashews, almonds) or poppy seeds to the filling is optional but highly recommend as it adds to the crunch.
Frequently asked questions
I hope you enjoy this Ukadiche Modak Recipe!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ in the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Recipe Card
