Ukadiche Modak/Steamed Modak
EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP
THEME: #161 GANESH CHATURTHI RECIPES
FoodieMonday/Bloghop group decided to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with recipes. Recipes we would make to offer Lord Ganesha. Undoubtedly its the best time to make the famous Ukadiche Modaks or steamed Modaks. Steam or fry them. I steamed these traditional Maharashtrian mithai.
Ganapati Bappa Moriya, Mangal Murti Moriya
All those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi chant the above and get ready for the Ganesh Chaturthi, Vinayak Chaturthi or Vinayak Chavithi festival. To find out what the chanting actually means watch this video. In fact, the festival marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
The Story:
The story goes that when Lord Shiva was away, Goddess Parvati created Ganesha from sandalwood paste to guard the door when she went for her bath. Lord Shiva returns and Ganesha doesn’t recognize Him. Shivji does not know that Parvati had created Ganesha. Ganesha does not allow Him to enter. Subsequently, a fight takes place between the two. Enraged, Lord Shiva cut off Ganesha’s head. When Goddess Parvati gets to know about this, she takes on the form or avatar of Goddess Kali. She threatens to destroy the world if her child is not brought back to life, As a result, Shankara (Lord Shiva) orders his followers to find the first baby whose mother has her back to him/her and bring his/her head. A follower found a baby elephant and brought the head to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva brought Ganesha to life.
Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration
Generally, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations last for 10 days. A clay statue of Lord Ganesha is installed in pandals, temples and homes on the first day. These are decorated with flowers. Lord Ganesha is worshipped for 10 days and offered a variety of food. Chanting of songs(bhajans) praising Ganesha and dancing takes place. On the 11th day, with much pomp and celebration the Idol of Ganesha is submerged in the water. Followers request Him to come back soon the following year.
Why Ganesha Idol/statue is immersed in water?
It is believed that during the 10 days that He visits us, he takes all our wishes to the heavenly abode. In addition, He also takes any negative energy with Him when he is sent back to Mt Kailash, his abode. When immersed in the water, this symbolizes that the devotees are sending him back to his abode.
Importance of Ganesha in Hinduism
Hindus believe in worshipping Lord Ganesha first before starting any new work, celebrations, poojas, havans, etc. We believe that He is the remover of all obstacles. Lord Ganesha is considered the friendly God and is loved by all.
My Experience
While growing up in Nairobi, I’d not seen huge celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi. Neither did I see it when I was schooling in Mt. Abu. Much later on during our visits to India, I began to see huge celebrations. Incidentally, my first visit to a big pandal was near the ISKCON temple Juhu. Subsequently, got to witness more and more pandals coming up even in Bangalore. 2 years ago I was fortunate enough to be in Bangalore during the festival and our society had huge celebrations for 10 days.
Ideas what to make for Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations
Some Laddoos – Ganesha’s favourite
Modaks
- Guava Kalakand Modak, a unique recipe by Sasmita
- Khajoor/Date Modaks by Preethi
Kozhukkatai
- Beetroot Ammini Kozhukkatai
- Paal Kozhukkatai
- Quinoa Pidi Kozhakattai by Seema
- Kara Ammini Kozhukkatai by Priya, she makes mini ones
Other Sweet Dishes
- Cherry Pineapple Kesari by Sujata
- Ladoo Kheer by Waagmi
Check out Poonam’s 101 Ganesh Chaturthi recipes
Panchakajjaya by Veena. Its a special preparation of 5 ingredients that is offered to Lord Ganesha.
Deciding to Ukadiche Modak
I had to try making the famous modak that Lord Ganesha loves so much for this festival. Ganesha loves Modaks and laddoos. Generally, modaks are rice dumplings with a sweet stuffing. However, there are a variety of modak recipes right from chocolates ones to the authentic ones. I searched for ideas and methods on several blogs and You Tubes.Took me a long time to shape the modaks even with the mold. But, it was definitely worth the effort. The first one was a disaster as most photos show how to stuff them but not how to seal the bottom. At the end the taste of modak was awesome so worth all the work. I shaped a few without the mold but to get nice pleated ones, it takes a lot of practice.
Ingredients required for Ukadiche Modak
- Rice Flour
- Water
- Milk
- Ghee – for the dough, filling and some for greasing
- Sugar
- Salt
- Jaggery Powder – gud, gur
- Coconut – for a good taste best to use freshly grated coconut
- Sesame Seeds – til, tal
- Poppy Seeds – khus khus. If you don’t have omit this ingredient.
- Mix Nuts – a coarse powder
- Cardamom Powder – elachi powder, elaichi powder
- Nutmeg Powder – jaiphal.
Dietary Tips:
- Gluten Free
- Vegetarian
- For vegan friendly ukadiche modak replace dairy milk with any other nut milk and replace ghee with coconut oil
UKADICHE MODAK/STEAMED MODAK
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
FOR THE FILLING:
- ¼ cup jaggery powder
- ¼ cup grated coconut fresh
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds roasted
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds roasted
- 3 tbsp mixed nut powder coarse
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
- some water for dipping fingers in
- extra ghee for greasing
Instructions
PREPARATION OF THE DOUGH:
- Add the water in a pan and place it over medium heat.
- Add salt, sugar and ghee and bring it to a boil.
- Add the rice flour and mix it well till not much dry flour is left.
- Switch off the heat and cover the pan with a lid.
- Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
PREPARATION OF THE FILLING:
- Add jaggery to a wide pan over medium heat and stir it constantly till it begins to melt.
- Add ghee and coconut. Mix well.
- Add sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nut powder, cardamom and nutmeg powder and mix well.
- Take the pan off the heat.
- The mixture should appear moist and when a bit cool you should be able to form a tiny ball easily. If not sprinkle very little milk and mix.
PREPARATION OF MODAKS:
- Open the modak mold and grease it lightly with ghee.
- Close the mold. From the hole at the bottom push in a some rice dough.
- Using wet fingers press the dough to the sides of the mold.
- Remove any excess dough that comes out. You should have a hole in the middle to fill it with the jaggery filling.
- Take a tiny ball of filling and stuff it in by pressing it in through the hole.
- Take a small piece of dough and flatten it into a small thin circle.
- Cover the bottom with it.
- Open the mold and remove the modak.
- Gently press and shape the bottom part well. Press the modak gently on the surface to get a flattish bottom.
- Place it on a greased tray.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
STEAMING:
- Add little water to your steaming device.
- Line the perforated tray with parchment paper or a thin muslin cloth.
- When the water begins to boil arrange the modak in the tray.
- They should not touch each other.
- Steam for 10 minutes.
- Slowly remove the steamed modak from the steamer.
- Arrange on a plate that will be used for offering to Lord Ganesha.
- Drizzle a few drops of ghee over the modak to give that nice shine.
Notes
- If you find the rice dough is drying out then add a few drops of water or milk and knead the dough.
- My steaming device is a big pan with a lid. I place a stand in the middle of the pan and place my perforated colander over it. You can use a idli steamer or your rice cooker steamer too.
Pin for later:
A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962
44 Comments
The Girl Next Door
September 11, 2018 at 7:17 am
We make these for Ganesh Chaturthi, and Amma makes them really well. I usually help out Amma with making these, but have never tried them out on my own. Your post tempts me to try my hands at these traditional kozhukattais, as we call them. 🙂
mayurisjikoni
September 11, 2018 at 7:16 pm
Thanks Priya, getting to learn so much. I thought that the steamed balls you shared are the only ones that are called kozhukkatai.
Seema Doraiswamy Sriram
September 11, 2018 at 7:37 am
These look so adorable, Mayuri. I am sure Ganesha is so pleased with these perfect ones.
mayurisjikoni
September 11, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Thank you so much Seema.
poonampagar
September 11, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Ukadiche modak are delicious and visual treats too..love your presentation di. I make them on the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi festival without fail. Perfect share for the theme !
mayurisjikoni
September 11, 2018 at 7:12 pm
Thanks Poonam, made them for the first time and next time it will be easier.
Batter Up With Sujata
September 11, 2018 at 7:59 pm
Wow Mayuri modak looks so perfect and delish. Ganpati Bappa surely love these. Loved your presentation. Awesome share.
mayurisjikoni
September 11, 2018 at 11:06 pm
Thank you so much Sujata.
Preethi Prasad
September 16, 2018 at 1:59 pm
I miss the traditional modak made by my mom and mom in law back home.My husband loves it so much.Ukadiche modak looks so perfectly done.Perfect treat for the festival.
mayurisjikoni
September 16, 2018 at 9:23 pm
Thanks Preethi, I’m so glad I made them, loved them.
waagmi
September 17, 2018 at 9:58 am
Alltime favorite these modak…The only prasad I love during Ganesh chaturthi 🙂 Love them
mayurisjikoni
September 17, 2018 at 11:00 pm
Thanks Waagmi.
veena
September 17, 2018 at 7:12 pm
Wow…I am drooling looking at the pics Mayuri. I fail to make such lovely looking modak. They look amazing
mayurisjikoni
September 17, 2018 at 8:21 pm
Thanks Veena, it took me a long time as I’d made it for the first time, but obviously using the mold makes them look pretty.
Sasmita Sahoo Samanta
September 19, 2018 at 9:43 am
Really, no other flavors can beat this traditional one !!!! Always I try my hand in preparing this and only after that with any other additional flavor … Lovely share for theme 🙂
mayurisjikoni
September 19, 2018 at 7:51 pm
Thank you so much Sasmita.
Sujata Shukla
September 19, 2018 at 2:23 pm
These steamed rice flour modaks with jaggery coconut filling are actually difficult to make, but you make them seem deceptively easy! Anyone following your clear recipe should be able to tackle these kozhakattais with confidence now!
mayurisjikoni
September 19, 2018 at 7:50 pm
Thank you so much Sujata. A bit fidgety but managed but I guess practise makes perfect. Planning to make them for Diwali.
Saswati
September 23, 2018 at 7:29 pm
Ukadiche modak is a perfect traditional share for the theme..the clicks are droolworthy.
mayurisjikoni
October 4, 2018 at 6:41 pm
Thank you so much Saswati.
Renu Agrawal Dongre
September 2, 2019 at 2:02 pm
I have never made ukadiche modak but I am so tempted to try this. I love the shape and taste of this and probably a bit apprehensive if I would really be able to shape it. But I need to push my fear and give this recipe a try.
mayurisjikoni
September 3, 2019 at 2:06 pm
Try out the recipe Renu, it took me quite a long time but in the end was so happy and satisfied.
Shobha Keshwani
August 16, 2020 at 12:59 am
This steamed modak is the best and my favourite prashad during Ganpati Celebrations.I have not tried my hand at making it as yet . This year we are not having any huge celebrations and stick to simple poojas at home.
mayurisjikoni
August 16, 2020 at 8:41 pm
Thanks Shobha, I guess the scenario is all over India but hear pandals are being erected. For us in Kenya its always a low key celebration.
LINSY PATEL
August 16, 2020 at 5:19 pm
looks so perfect and traditional , i like to make more kid friendly and easy one but no one can beat traditional one
mayurisjikoni
August 16, 2020 at 8:38 pm
That’s for sure Linsy, and I’m so glad I made the traditional ones.
Superduper kitchen
August 16, 2020 at 8:48 pm
Modhak looks so delicious. This traditional modhak is the best of every other madhak and nothing can’t beat this recipe.
After trying many years, finally last year I shaped modhak to my mom, grandmom and to my satisfaction without mould. Its like a wow moment for me.
Also I loved your Ganesh Chathurthi recipes collection especially beetroot ammini kozhukkattai.
mayurisjikoni
August 17, 2020 at 4:04 pm
Thank you so much Niranjana.
priya vj
August 16, 2020 at 10:20 pm
Lord ganesha’s fav prasad. No matter whatever Innovation is tried with modaks nothing can beat the taste of these traditional steamed ones. I have been making these for the last 3 years and slowly gaining confidence .hopefully should be able to blog it soon . Loved the way you have perfectly used the mould to shape it.
mayurisjikoni
August 17, 2020 at 4:03 pm
Thank you so much Priya. As I said making without the mold takes a bit of practice.
Mina Joshi
August 16, 2020 at 10:39 pm
I love Modaks and yours look perfect. I have never attempted to make them as the recipe always looked complicated. Reading your recipe makes me realise that I may be able to make them.
mayurisjikoni
August 17, 2020 at 4:02 pm
Thank you so much Mina. Since I made it the first time, it just required a bit of patience. Otherwise these traditional modaks are very tasty.
Jayashree T.Rao
August 17, 2020 at 7:55 pm
Ganpati festival is incomplete without modak. Nice modaks, you have made them perfectly.
mayurisjikoni
August 17, 2020 at 10:44 pm
Thank you so much.
Archana
August 18, 2020 at 12:44 pm
Beautifully made modak, Mayuri. I liked your filling mine is always bare minimum. This time will try your filling. Ganesh without modak is like marriage without the bridal couple. 😀
mayurisjikoni
August 18, 2020 at 9:10 pm
Heehhee… thanks Archana. For us its more like ladoo, but we all pick up traditions from other communities pretty fast.
Padma Veeranki
August 18, 2020 at 11:36 pm
Out of all modaks, steamed rice flour modaks with jaggery coconut filling is my absolute favourite! Ganesh festival is incomplete without modak. You have nailed them perfectly!!
mayurisjikoni
August 19, 2020 at 6:23 pm
Thank you so much Padma.
Priya Srinivasan
August 19, 2020 at 7:21 pm
Steamed modak with the traditional coconut and jaggery is a classic! Love the beautiful shape of the modak, though i have the moulds, i have never tried them, might as well try this chathurthi!
mayurisjikoni
August 19, 2020 at 9:08 pm
Thanks Priya, I think with the molds it was quite easy.
Jolly
August 19, 2020 at 8:29 pm
These steamed rice flour modaks with jaggery coconut filling looks really delicious. I never tried my hand to modak but heard many times making modak is an art & your look so perfectly made. Perfect treat for the festival.
mayurisjikoni
August 19, 2020 at 9:07 pm
Thank you so much Jolly. When I made them I too thought that it is difficult. However, today I came across Niranjana’s easy recipe on how to shape them. So go on check it out and make them.
Swati
August 20, 2020 at 2:41 pm
I love these Modaks.. my neighbor in Mumbai used to make it also share with us on every Ganpati.. I still have to attempt trying these.. you have made these so perfectly ..hopefully soon I too will give these a try.
mayurisjikoni
August 20, 2020 at 4:55 pm
Thank you so much Swati.