Go Back
+ servings
steamed modak served in a black plate and flowers on the side
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Modak Recipe | Ukadiche Modak

Modak is a sweet dumpling made with rice flour and stuffed with a sweet jaggery-coconut mixture.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Shaping Modak20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
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
  • 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.