Modak is a deep fried Indian sweet popular in Western and Southern India. The Modak is almost exclusively prepared at the time of Ganapati Festival. During the Ganesha Chaturthi Festival, twenty-one Modaks are offered to the deity as prasad.
It is called by different names in different languages like in Marathi, Konkani and Gujarati it is called as Modak; in Kannada called as Modhaka or Kadubu; in Tamil as Modhaka or Kozhakkattai while the Telugu people prefer to call it by the name Kudumu. Modak is easy to prepare and can be made at home.
Ingredients of Modak:
There are two main content of modak that is dough and filling.
For Dough
•Rice flour 2 cups
•Maida flour 1/4 cup
•A pinch of salt
•Water 2 cups
•Ghee 1 tbs
For the Filling
•Fried channa 1 cup
•Peanuts 1 cup
•Poppy seeds 1/2 cup
•Sesame seeds 1/2 cup
•Dry coconut powder 1 cup
•Jaggery 2 cups.
•Cardamom 3 pods
Method of preparing Modak
•Fry peanuts, takeout the skin.
•Fry poppy seeds and sesame seeds.
•Then grind everything in mixer into a powder.
•Add jaggery and powdered cardamom. Keep aside.
•Put water in a non-stick vessel.
•Add salt and ghee.
•When water starts boiling, add rice flour and Maida flour. Do not stir. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes.
•Take off fire and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. No lumps should be left.
•Take the dough in a microwave proof bowl and microwave for 3-4 minutes so that the dough will cook thoroughly.
•Then take two plastic sheets. Smear with ghee. Put a small ball of dough in the middle.
•Roll on the top of upper sheet with a rolling pin to a 3-4" diameter leaf like puri.
•Place the stuffing on one half of the leaf and press the two ends on each other. Now it looks semi circular.
•Serve with coconut milk and ghee.
There are certain Indian sweet shops who sell this dessert throughout the year. This sweet recipe can be served to the guests during any Indian festival like Diwali, Rakhi etc to sweeten their mouth.
