Modak Recipe - Sweet Food for Ganesh Chaturthi Festival

Modak is a kind of sweet dumpling. It originated in India, in the state of Maharashtra. It is served during Ganesh Chaturthi, a holiday dedicated to Ganesha. The main ingredients of a Modak meatball usually include coconut and brown sugar, a type of sugar. Modaks are considered a vegetarian food, although not vegan, as they often contain butter.

Cooking a Modak begins with filling with fresh coconut and raw sugar, brown sugar that has been developed in India. It is a concentrated form of liquid cane sugar, and molasses containing both hard crystals. As for the plate, brown sugar should be shaved off a large hard driving block.

Although they are usually the two main ingredients of this cake, the filling may also contain other components. Some examples include raisins, chopped cashews or clarified butter. Spices such as cardamom are also used. Some Modaks are also filled with cucumber, fruit, or Moong, a kind of grains.

After creating the stuffing, then the rice flour dough is spooned in a circle. The sides of the dough are collected at a point, which gives the Modak form decorative ball of dough characteristic. They look a little like flower buds hermetically sealed.



Modaks can be cooked in two different ways. Sometimes they are fried, while other times, they are boiled in hot water. The cooked version is often eaten warm with buffalo butter, a type of clarified butter, spoon in it. The steam version is meant to be consumed immediately, while fried dumplings can be stored for a couple of days. When cooked properly, Modaks should be very delicate and tender.

The Hindu god Ganesh is associated with new beginnings and intellectual investigation. And 'easily recognizable by him and the great belly of his elephant, and it is said that he is fond of sweets.Modak meatballs are said to be one of their favorites, and some icons show you with a close party dish.

During Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival dedicated to this god, Modak will beare set before icons Ganesh as an offering. Generally, anywhere from 21 to 108 Modaks are offered by a single family or group. Without modak meatballs, ceremonies around the icon during the ten-day festival are not considered complete.

Modak ingredients

1 cup rice flour

1 cup grated coconut

3/4 cup palm sugar

1 tablespoon Ghee or butter

1 tablespoon poppy seed

2 pinches of salt

1 tablespoon of raisins

4 green cardamom

How Modak is made

Heat 1 cup of water, add the salt and the Ghee or butter, cover and when it is boiling add the cup of flour, already with the fire off. Mix well and leave covered for about 5 minutes approximately.

Sauté the poppy seeds while stirring for 1-3 minutes and reserve. In that same frying pan, add the sugar in pieces and helping yourselves with a spoon or fork crush it, get it to completely melt. Add the grated coconut and cook over low heat for approximately 2-3 minutes.

Chop the cashews and add them together with the poppy seeds and raisins. Mix all the ingredients well, turn off the heat, add the ground cardamoms and let it take consistency and cool.

Work the dough, with the help of a spoon or spatula, put it on a flat plate, platter or work table where, little by little and with the help of a spoon, flatten it.

Grease your hands and work until you achieve a homogeneous mass. Take small amounts of dough, the size of a lemon, and form balls. Take the balls, flatten them with our hands, until you get discs where in the center you can incorporate a teaspoon of filling. Close well, as if it were a flower and reserve. Repeat the procedure with all the dough and filling.

Add 2 cups of water in a saucepan, grease the steamer with Ghee and add the Modak, cover the steamer and steam for approximately 10-12 minutes.

When cold they can be served.