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Home » Festival recipes » Ganesha Chaturthi recipes » Easy Modak recipe with step by step pics

Easy Modak recipe with step by step pics

Published: Aug 19, 2020

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Modak is a sweet dumpling made with rice flour and stuffed with a sweet jaggery-coconut mixture.

It is the favorite sweet of Lord Ganesha and made for Ganesha Chaturthi.

steamed modak placed in a black plate and in the back ground is an idol of lord Ganesha

Modak is also called as Ukadiche modak in Maharashtra, kudumulu in telugu, kadubu in Kannada, kozhukattai in Tamilnadu.

Many different varieties of modak like fried modak, steamed modak, dry fruits modak and many more are made on Ganeshji’s birthday. Lord Ganesha’s love for modak gives him the name Modakapriya.

Among the many recipes, Ukadiche modak ( translates to steamed modak) made with rice flour and coconut jaggery mixture is the popular one.

This is a easy modal recipe, because traditionally the modak are hand rolled and steamed. It takes some practice and patience to get the perfect shape of the modak. Using a modak mold makes it so much easier and they turn out perfect.

Ingredients:

ingredients needed to make modak

Ingredient notes:

  • Fresh grated coconut or frozen thawed coconut is the used in the recipe.
  • Jaggery powder or block of jaggery can be used.
  • Rice flour – I have used fine rice flour which is available in Indian stores in U.S.

Step by Step instruction to make Modak-

Making the sweet stuffing –

1- Add the grated fresh coconut ( if possible remove the brown part) and jaggery powder to a pan. If your jaggery has impurities, melt it in little water, drain and use it.

2- Mix it well and cook on medium flame till it thickens.

3 & 4 – Add the crushed cardamom and chopped cashew and give a mix. Set a side till we make the rice flour mixture.

coconut and jaggery cooked till soft and leaves the pan and added cardamom and cashew

Making the outer layer –

1- Boil water in a pot and add salt and ghee.

2 & 3 – Add the rice flour to the hot water and mix it till all the water is absorbed by the rice flour.

4 -Turn off the stove, close a lid and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

5 – After 5 minutes, transfer the dough to a lightly greased plate. Apply some ghee to your palms and knead the dough till soft. If the dough feels dry sprinkle some warm water while mixing.

6- The dough should be soft, non sticky and pilable.

cooking the rice flour in hot water, kneading it and making modak with it

Assembling the modak –

1 – Cover the dough with a towel and take a small ball sized dough. Open the mold and lightly grease it.

2- Fill the sides of the mold with the rice flour mixture with some gap in the middle, as shown in the picture 2.

3 & 4 – Add the sweet stuffing and cover it with the dough.

5- Carefully unmold the modak and place them on a greased steamer basket.

6 – Repeat with the rest of the dough, you should get about 12 medium modaks with this measurements. Do not over crowd while steaming them.

stuffed the rice flour and sweet coconut jaggery mixure in the modak mold

Steam the modak for 10 minutes, when done the modak will have a shiny texture. Drizzle some ghee and serve as neivedyam to Lord Ganesha.

If using instant pot, add 1.5 cups of water and boil it in the saute mode. Once the water comes to a boil, hit cancel. Place the trivet with steamer basket and close the lid. Turn the pressure valve to vent position. Press the steam mode and keep an external timer for 10 minutes. ( we don’t want to use the timer in the instant pot because instant pot takes time to built up pressure, before the cooking time kicks in. We don’t know how much time that is….so an external timer works best in this recipe)

steamed modak served in a black plate and flowers on the side

Tips to make best modak-

rice dough dry ? happens when there is not enough moisture in the dough. Add some hot water and knead it again.

dough tearing while rolling? too much ghee and also depends on the quality of the rice flour.

knead the dough while the mixture is still warm. You should get soft, non sticky, pilable dough.

Do not over cook the jaggery mixture, if not it will be become chewy or dry.

coconut jaggery mixture dry? you may have over cooked it. Add little water to the mixture and warm it up.

The outer covering of the modak should neither be too thick or too thin.

What is Ukadiche modak?

In ukadiche modak for the sweet filling they also add poppy seeds and nutmeg.

Where can I buy the modak mold?

I got mine from India. But they are also available online in amazon. During the month of august, many Indian store around the world sell the modak molds.

Storing and Reheating:

Modak tastes best when consumed fresh. But if you have left overs, store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Sprinkle some water and microwave for one minute before serving.

More Modak Recipes –

Collection of modak recipes

Dry Fruits Modak

Ragi Modak

If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to give a star rating & comment below.

For more recipes and to see what’s cooking in my kitchen, follow me on  Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

steamed modak served in a black plate and flowers on the side

Modak Recipe | Ukadiche Modak

Modak is a sweet dumpling made with rice flour and stuffed with a sweet jaggery-coconut mixture.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Shaping Modak: 20 minutes
Servings: 12 medium modak
Author: Madhavi

Equipment

  • steamer basket

Ingredients

For the Sweet Filling –

  • 1 cup fresh grated coconut
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp jaggery powder
  • 2 crushed cardamom pods
  • 1 tbsp of cashew pieces

For the Outer Filling –

  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1 ¼ cup water
  • ½ tsp ghee
  • ⅛ tsp salt

For greasing the steamer

  • little ghee to coat the steamer

Instructions

Making the sweet stuffing –

  • Add the grated fresh coconut ( if possible remove the brown part) and jaggery powder to a pan. If your jaggery has impurities, melt it in little water, drain and use it.
  • Mix it well and cook on medium flame till it thickens.
  • Add the crushed cardamom and chopped cashew and give a mix. Set a side till we make the rice flour mixture.

Making the outer layer –

  • Boil water in a pot and add salt and ghee. Add the rice flour to the hot water and mix it till all the water is absorbed by the rice flour.
  • Turn off the stove, close a lid and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly greased plate. Apply some ghee to your palms and knead the dough till soft. If the dough feels dry sprinkle some warm water while mixing.
  • The dough should be soft, non sticky and pliable.

Assembling the modak –

  • Cover the dough with a towel and take a small ball sized dough. Open the mold and lightly grease it.
  • Fill the sides of the mold with the rice flour mixture with some gap in the middle
  • Add the sweet stuffing and cover it with the dough.
  • Carefully unmold the modak and place them on a greased steamer basket.
    Repeat with the rest of the dough, you should get about 12 medium modaks with this measurements. Do not over crowd while steaming them.

Cooking the modak in the instant pot-

  • To the instant pot, add 1.5 cups of water and boil it in the saute mode. Once the water comes to a boil, hit cancel. Place the isteamer basket with the modak and close the lid. Turn the pressure valve to vent position. Press the steam mode and keep an external timer for 10 minutes. ( we don’t want to use the timer in the instant pot because instant pot takes time to built up pressure, before the cooking time kicks in. We don’t know how much time that is….so an external timer works best in this recipe)

Cooking the modak on stove top or pressure cooker –

  • If using pressure cooker, boil 1.5 cups of water and place the steamer basket and close the lid. Do not put the whistle and steam for 10 minutes.
  • If using stove top method- add 1.5 cups of water to a wide pot, bring it to a boil. Place a trivet and stem the modak for 10 minutes. Wait for 5-7 minutes before removing the cooked modak.
  • Drizzle some ghee over modak and serve as neivdeyam to Gnapathi baba.

Notes

  • rice dough dry ? happens when there is not enough moisture in the dough. Add some hot water and knead it again.
  • dough tearing while rolling? too much ghee and also depends on the quality of the rice flour.
  • knead the dough while the mixture is still warm. You should get soft, non sticky, pilable dough.
  • do not over cook the jaggery mixture, if not it will be become chewy or dry.
  • coconut jaggery mixture dry? you may have over cooked it. Add little water to the mixture and warm it up.
  • The outer covering of the modak should neither be too thick or too thin.
  • In ukadiche modak, the sweet filling  also has poppy seeds and nutmeg
  • The store bought rice flour in U.S works well if you have a modak mold. 
 
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Hello there, I am Madhavi, welcome to my blog! I share vegetarian, dairy and egg recipes from India and around the world. Hope you enjoy my recipes and Happy Browsing!

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