Ganesh Chaturthi is here and so are the modaks. But if you haven’t yet prepared the little sweet balls of pure joy, here are three quick recipes to prepare delicious and different modaks this year.
Ukdiche Modak
Ingredients:
Rice flour 1 1/2 cups, Salt a pinch, Oil 1 teaspoon for greasing
For stuffing: Fresh coconut grated 1 1/2 cups, Jaggery grated 1 cup, Poppy seeds (khuskhus/posto) roasted 1 tablespoon, Green cardamom powder a pinch, Nutmeg powder a pinch
Method
Heat one and one-fourth cups of water with salt and one teaspoon oil in a deep non-stick pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add the rice flour in a steady flow, stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Cover the pan with a deep lid and pour some water into the lid. Cook on low heat for three minutes. Remove the lid, sprinkle some cold water on the rice flour and cover again with the lid, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add the rice flour in a steady flow, stirring continuously. Cook for another three minutes. Repeat this process twice. Take the pan off the heat and keep it covered for two minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large plate, grease the palms of your hands with oil and knead the dough till completely smooth and pliable. The dough should not stick to your palms. Rest the dough covered with a damp cloth. For the stuffing, combine the coconut and jaggery in a non-stick pan and cook on medium heat for one or two minutes till light golden brown. Make sure that you do not overcook the mixture. Add the roasted poppy seeds, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Divide the dough into twelve equal portions and shape them into balls. Grease the palms of your hands and spread each ball to form a three-inch bowl. Press the edges of the bowls to reduce the thickness. Place a portion of the stuffing in the cecenterpleat the edges of the dough and gather them together to form a bundle. Pinch to seal the edges at the top. Heat sufficient water in a steamer. Place the modak on a perforated plate in the steamer and steam for ten to twelve minutes. Serve hot modak with ghee.
Chocolate Modak
Ingredients:
2 cups Ricotta Cheese, 1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1/2 cup semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder.
Method:
Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium heat and add ricotta cheese. Mix and cook for five to eight minutes. Once the ricotta cheese starts to thicken up, add condensed milk to that. Mix and cook for five minutes. Turn the heat off. Add cocoa powder and chocolate chips, and mix well. Wait until the mixture cools down completely. Once the chocolate mixture is cool to touch take the modak mold and stuff with the chocolate mixture to give that a modak shape. Chocolate Modak is ready!
Kesar Mawa Modak
Ingredients:
Mawa/dried whole milk – 1 cup, Sugar – 1/2 cup, Green Cardamom – 2 (powdered), Kesar/saffron – few strands, Milk – 2 tbsp
Method:
Mash mawa and keep it ready. Remove seeds from the cardamom pods and crush them well. Grease a square plate with some ghee and keep it ready. Add a few saffron strands to warm milk and keep it aside for 20 minutes. Add mawa, sugar and saffron milk to a non-stick pan and mix it well. Heat the pan and cook on medium heat. Keep stirring till the mixture becomes thick. Do not wait for it to completely dry to mix as it will get hard. Remove from the stove, add cardamom powder and mix it well. Spread the mixture on the greased plate. When it cools down, take a portion in your hand and give it a modak shape using a mold. You can also simply cut it into equal squares if you do not have a modak mold available.
Kaju Modak
Ingredients:
2 Cups Mava, 1 Cup Cashew nut powder, 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar, Cardamom Powder, Yellow Food colour
Method:
Take mava, sugar and cashew nut powder in a heavy bottom pan. Turn the heat to medium heat. Stir it and mix well. Add the food colour. As it heats up, add cardamom powder. Now roast it well till all the moisture evaporated. It takes about five minutes. Remove it to the plate and let it cool to handle it. Check mava and make sure there are no lumps. Take a small ball of mava and put it into the mold. By using your finger pack it. Press it and open the mold carefully and remove it. Modaks are ready to serve.
Recipes by Maharaj Bhawar Singh, corporate chef — Khandani Rajdhani