Sweets recipes | Havyaka

Modaka | Steamed sweet dumplings

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

The traditional steamed modaka or modak is a steamed sweet dumpling with an outer rice flour dough cover and a coconut-jaggery-sesame seeds-cardamom filling. This classic Modaka, with its distinctive shape, is an art form in cooking. A small portion of the dough is flattened into a circle, the simple yet delectable coconut sweet mixture is placed in the centre, and the edges are folded and pleated to form a conical shape. Then the sweets are steamed, offered, and savored.

Modaka is one of the favourite dishes of Ganesha, and the sweet is made during Ganesha Chaturthi festival. No idea whether the Modakapriya Ganesha likes to eat steamed or fried Modaka. However, I prefer to make, offer, and eat this soft, delicate, and aromatic steamed Modaka.

Most of the sweet dishes made on Ganesha Chaturthi include fresh coconut, jaggery, sesame seeds, and cardamom. The entire atmosphere will be filled with a sweet aroma of coconut-jaggery-cardamom mixture. This incredible aroma makes Ganesha to stay on Earth for all eleven days.

In this recipe, I have added a pinch of saffron to the rice dough, and a few nuts and golden raisins (dry grapes) to the sweet filling. But these ingredients are my personal preferences and are absolutely optional and you can opt out these ingredients.

Prep time

50 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Cool off time

0 Total time

1 hr 10 mins

Course

Sweets

Diet

Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Moderate

Servings

15

Ingredients

1 cup freshly grated coconut – tightly packed
1 cup jaggery or as required
¼ cup sesame seeds
5 cardamoms
10 cashew nuts (optional)
5 almonds (optional)
5 pistachios (optional)
15 dry grapes / raisins (optional)
1 cup rice flour
1.5 cups water
1 teaspoon fresh ghee
15 saffron strands (optional)
Salt as required

Cookware / Utensils

Thick pan or vessel
Spoon or spatula
Bowl
Steamer
Mortar and pestle

Instructions

Make sweet filling

Grate 1 cup fresh coconut. Rinse, dry, and chop nuts.
Remove, rinse, and powder cardamom seeds.
In a thick pan, add grated fresh coconut, jaggery, and sesame seeds.

If sesame seeds are not washed and dried earlier, rinse them before adding.
Mix well and cook this mix on low-medium heat and stir often.
Cook till the moisture in the mixture begins to dry. Do not overcook the mixture.
Then add chopped nuts and dry grapes.
Mix well and continue to cook for a minute or two.
Add cardamom powder, mix well and switch off the heat. Let the mixture cool.

Make rice flour dough

In a pan, add 1.5 cups water, 1 teaspoon fresh ghee, few strands of saffron, and salt as required.
Heat it, and let this come to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and add 1 cup rice flour. Quickly mix the rice flour with the water.
Stir till the rice flour is mixed well with the water. Turn off the heat.
Remove the pan from the stovetop, cover and keep aside for 5 minutes.
Now, take the rice dough in a plate or mixing bowl.
Begin to knead the dough when still hot, hot enough to touch.
Knead to soft and smooth dough without any lumps.

Shape Modaka

Make small and smooth balls from the dough. Keep them covered.
Take a ball and flatten it on your palms to a round shape. Keep the edges slightly thinner than the centre.
Gently pinch off little dough, for about every half inch apart, to make a pleat on the outer side.
Place a few teaspoons of the sweet filling in the centre.
Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough, if any.
Shape all the dough balls to modaka.

Steam Modaka

Place shaped modaka in a wide bowl or plate. Cover the bowl and place it in a steamer.
Steam them on high - medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Switch off and remove steamed modaka. Modaka should be steamed well and it should not be sticky.
Offer modaka to Ganesha and serve / eat fresh modaka.

Step by step guide

How to make steamed modaka

Make sweet filling

1. Grate 1 cup fresh coconut. Rinse, dry, and chop nuts. You can even chop dry grapes. Remove, rinse, and powder cardamom seeds.

2. In a thick pan, add grated fresh coconut, jaggery, and sesame seeds.

If sesame seeds are not washed and dried earlier, rinse them before adding.

3. Mix well and cook this mix on low-medium heat and stir often.

4. Cook till the moisture in the mixture begins to dry. Do not overcook the mixture. The mix / jaggery will become hard if it is overcooked.

5. Then add chopped nuts and dry grapes. Mix well and continue to cook for a minute or two. Add cardamom powder, mix well and switch off the heat. Let the mixture cool.

Make rice flour dough

6. In a pan, add 1.5 cups water, 1 teaspoon fresh ghee, few strands of saffron, and salt as required.

7. Heat it, and let this come to a boil.

8. Reduce the heat to low and add 1 cup rice flour. Quickly mix the rice flour with the water. Stir till the rice flour is mixed well with the water. Turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the stovetop, cover and keep aside for 5 minutes.

9. Now, take the rice dough in a plate or mixing bowl. Begin to knead the dough when still hot, hot enough to touch.

10. Knead to soft and smooth dough without any lumps.

Shape Modaka

11. Make small and smooth balls from the dough. Keep the dough balls covered.

12. Take a ball and flatten it on your palms to a round shape. Keep the edges slightly thinner than the centre.

13. Gently pinch off little dough, for about every half inch apart, to make a pleat on the outer side.

14. Place a few teaspoons of the sweet filling in the centre.

15. Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough, if any. Shape all the dough balls to modaka.

Steam Modaka

16. Place shaped modaka in a wide bowl or plate. Cover the bowl and place it in a steamer. Steam them on high - medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes.

17. Switch off and remove steamed modaka. Modaka should be steamed well and it should not be sticky.

18. Offer modaka to Ganesha and serve / eat fresh modaka.

Notes

Dough

Use fresh and finely ground rice flour to make dough. The quantity of water required to make perfect dough depends on the type of rice flour.

Make sure that the dough does not become dry or sticky. Dry dough results in cracks. If the dough is dry, add some more water. If it is sticky add some more rice flour.
Sweet filling / stuffing

If you have no access to fresh coconut, dry or desiccated coconut can be used to make the stuffing.

Do not overcook the stuffing. Overcooking will result in the mix become hard and chewy. If this happens, add some water to the stuffing mix, cook on low heat and stir well until it softens.
Steaming time varies depending on a type of steamer used and the intensity of the heat applied.