Sumee's Culinary Bites: Steamed Modak

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all my blog readers! I read these wishes on my friend’s wall and thought pretty neat.. “ Wishing you happiness as big as Ganesha’s appetite, Life as long as his trunk, Trouble as small as his Mouse and Moments as sweet as his Laddus..” :o)

Today got up early and was on a mission to do steamed modak for puja in the morning. Asked hubby to get kids ready for school, meanwhile I got down to task. Lord helped me achieve my goal with no obstacles. After all He loves modak’s. And to my surprise the quantity was just enough for 21 perfect modak’s.

Here is a recipe for the same. Since it was for Prasad, I never taste or eat anything else in the middle of making. Always start praying to God that it turns out great coz you will be first offering it to Him.

Yields: 21 | Prep Time: 20 min. | Cooking Time: 30 mins.

Ingredients:

Filling/ Hoorn (I choose 5 ingredients, panch vastu) –

· Grated Coconut – 1 cup (I used frozen grated ones)

· Grated/ Crumbled Jaggery (Gud) – 3/4 cup

· White sesame seeds (Ellu) – 1 tbsp.

· Cardamom powder – ½ tsp.

· Ghee – 1 tsp.

For Covering –

· Rice flour – 1 cup

· Chapati flour – 1 cup

· Water – 1 cup

· Oil – 2 tbsp.

· Salt to taste

Method of Preparation –

~ Prepare the filling first. In a heavy bottom pan, heat ghee. Add sesame seeds and fry for a minute. Add coconut and jaggery and keep mixing them until they all come together. When jaggery starts to leave the sides, switch off the heat, mix cardamom powder and keep it aside.

~ Now prepare the covering part. Add oil to water and heat in microwave for one minute. In a mixing bowl add both the flours, salt and slowly start adding the hot water in batches. Be careful to mix with spoon initially. Once you can handle the flour, mix it to make dough of soft chapati/ bread or poori dough consistency. Add water as needed.

~ Now make about 18 or 19 small lime size balls out of the dough (I am not saying 21, coz you will get extra out while making and eventually will yield 21 of these). Similarly make 21 portions of the filling. Make sure to keep cleaning your hand and wiping the water off so you don’t put hoorn in the dough.

~ Apply little oil on your hand and gently press the dough ball to shape it in circle (about size of little pooris). Place the filling in the middle, clean/ wipe your hand, pull all the sides of the dough up to cover the hoorn as shown in the picture. Remove the excess dough on top by twisting and pulling. Make sure the hoorn doesn’t come out of the filling. Continue to do all 21 modak’s.

~ Add water in rice cooker container (I used rice cooker colander and steamed in them. You can use pressure cooker to steam too.)and switch it on. Gently place each modak’s in colander/ cooker container. It will fit about 10 or 11. Place them in the cooker, cover and steam for 15 minutes. (For pressure cooker 7 to 10 minutes should be enough. Do not put the whistle). Repeat steaming for next batch.

~ Switch off and gently transfer each modak to decorative tray and offer it to the God.