Modak Recipe | Modakam Recipe

Modak also known as ukadiche modak, modagam or thengai poorna kozhukattai is a popular steamed dumplings from India made during the special occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Rice flour dough is stuffed with sweetened coconut filling and steamed. This sweet is a rice flour dumpling stuffed with coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder and ghee. Variations of this recipe includes chana dal modak and sesame Modak. In this recipe post, I have shared method of making modak with mould and without mould. Learn how to make Modak with step by step pictures and video. 

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Modak Recipe

Lord Ganesh favorite kolukattai, my favorite too, I hope it is everyones favorite. It turns out so tasty when made the right way. One my relative, make the melt in mouth and the softest modak recipe, but she makes it round shape and not with the mould. She makes it really tiny, it is delicious.

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For more kozhukattai recipe, I have pidi kozhukattai, elai paniyaram, paal kozhukattai. If you are looking for savoury kozhukattai, check out my rava kozhukattai, oats kozhukattai, aval kozhukattai.

About Modak (Modakam)

Modakam is a sweet dumpling dish from India that is popular in many Indian states and cultures. According to Hindu belief, it is one of Lord Ganeshas favourite dishes and is thus used in prayers. A modak sweet filling is made of freshly grated coconut and jaggery, while the outer soft shell is made of rice flour or wheat flour mixed
with khava or maida flour.

Modak, also known as modakam or kudumu in Telugu, kadubu in Kannada, kozhakatta in Malayalam, and kozhukattai in Tamil, is a Marathi word. It’s a rice or wheat flour dumpling with a filling of grated coconut and jaggery.

Lord Ganesha’s Favorite Modakam

Lord Ganesha loves modak recipe so much that he also goes by the name Modapriya. His liking of the sweet dumplings is mentioned in a number of stories. Devotees prepare various varieties of Modak and present them as prasadham. They are made of rice flour, coconut, and jaggery and are perfectly steamed.

Popular Modak Recipes

Pidi kozhukattai

Pillayarpatti modagam

Ammini kozhukattai 

Watch Modak Recipe Video

Modak Ingredients (Ukadiche Modak)

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Jaggery

Jaggery taste like fresh cane juice, maple syrup, caramel, or molasses. The unrefined natural sweetener is available in a variety of colours, including light amber, golden brown, and dark brown. Jaggery is known by many different names, including gur in Urdu, gud in Hindi, and vellam in Tamil. In this recipe try to use dark coloured jaggery which adds so much flavour. It is important to boil the jaggery and strain it to remove any impurities.

Rice Flour

Rice flour is a type of flour that is made from finely ground rice. You can easily find kozhukattai maavu in stores. Use good quality rice flour for soft modak.

Fresh Coconut

Coconut is one of the important ingredient in modak. Even though there are many recipes that uses other stuffing like chana dal, khoya. moong dal. Coconut jaggery poorna stuffing is the main modak recipe.

Cardamom Powder

Cardamom Powder is an all-natural spice that can be used to sweeten dishes. These Cardamom is also used in traditional Indian recipes and it is one of the main flour in modak.

Gingelly Oil and Ghee

Gingelly oil is used in the cooked modak dough, while ghee is added in the coconut filling.

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How to make Modak (with mould and without mould)

Modak with mould – you can find different variety of Modak mould available in the market. It is much easy to use Modak mould instead of hand. Make sure to grease the mould with oil or ghee to ensure the Modak pops out easily. 

Modak without mould – even though I use Modak mould every now and then. I prefer making Modak with hands in the traditional round shape or Modak shape. Make sure to grease hands with oil before handling the dough. When pressing the dough, flatten it pretty thin to get soft outer covering. 

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Modak made in 5 Easy Steps

PREPARATION OF THE MODAK INGREDIENTS

Take coconut in a blender and pulse it few times till it is fine. Take jaggery and water in a sauce pan and heat till it is melted. Strain and set aside.

MAKE THE MODAK FILLING

Pour the jaggery syrup back into the same kadai. Add in coconut and mix well. Keep cooking this till it is thick. Add in cardamom powder, ghee and mix well. Remove this to a bowl and allow it to cool down. The filling can be made a day in advance. Stored in fridge.

MAKE THE KOZHUKATTAI MAAVU OR DOUGH

Now make the dough. Take water in a sauce pan, add in salt and 1 tsp of oil. Once the water reaches a boil add in rice flour and mix well. It will become like a sticky dough. Now remove this to a bowl and let it cool for 15 mins. Once it is cooled, add in 1 tsp of oil and make it into a soft dough.

SHAPING THE MODAK

Now take modak mould and grease it lightly. Take small portion of dough and spread it evenly in mould. Place the filling in and cover it with more dough.Now release the mould, you will have a modak. Take a small portion of dough and flatten it thinly. Place a small ball of filling in it and cover it. Roll it between your hands to smoothen it.

STEAMING THE MODAK

Now place this in a steamer and steam it for 8 to 10 mins. Let it cool for 5 mins before removing and serve.

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My Tips for Perfect Soft Modak

Here are few expert tips to make perfect soft Modak every time. 

Coconut filling – it is important to make the coconut filling thick and many hours in advance. The coconut filling has to be completely cold before stuffing. So there is no leak in the dumpling. 

Choosing rice flour – you can make your own rice flour, or use store bought rice flour. You can find kozhukattai flour readily in the market these days. 

Modak dough – ensure the water comes to a full boil before adding in the rice flour. As soon as the rice flour comes together, take it in a bowl and knead it really well till soft and smooth without any dry flour. Apply a layer of oil on top of the dough so the top doesn’t dry out. 

Shaping – when shaping Modak make sure there is no cracks on the dough, if it cracks, add a splash of water and knead again till soft. 

Steaming – when steaming, make sure to line the steamer plate with a cloth so the base of the Modak doesn’t stick to the steamer plate. Also once Modak is steamed, let it cool for 5 minutes before taking it from the plate. 

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Variation of Modak

Modak comes in two varieties: fried and steamed. Also different stuffing is used to create delicious Modak recipes. Some of the most popular versions are given below. 

Chana dal Modak – sweetened lentil, coconut filling is stuffed inside rice flour and shaped like Modak. 

Dry fruits Modak – chopped nuts, dry fruits and khoya is stuffed inside Modak to make this rich  dumpling. 

Ellu kozhukattai – sesame sweetened with jaggery makes a great kozhukattai dish. 

Ragi milk peda kozhukattai – for all health consicious Modak, this is a great option. 

How to Make Modak (Stepwise Pictures)

Pre-preparation

1)I used chopped coconut in this recipe, so to make it even shreds. I like to blend it in a blender till fine and even in texture. Set this aside.

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2)take jaggery and water in a pan. I am using the rock ball shaped jaggery which has many impurities. So I like to cook them in water before using them.

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3)Now the jaggery has melted completely.

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4)Strain the jaggery through a strainer to remove any impurities.

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Making Modak Filling

5)Now wash the pot clean. Pour the jaggery syrup into the pan. We are going to cook the jaggery syrup till it comes to a full boil.

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6)Once it starts to boil. Add the coconut which we blended earlier.

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7)Mix the coconut into the jaggery syrup and cook till it starts to thicken.

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8)Let the jaggery cook for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring so the jaggery doesn’t burn.

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9)now the coconut mixture has thickened well.

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10)Add in cardamom powder and dry ginger powder if using.

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11)Add a spoon of ghee. This is optional but it adds so much flavour.

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12)Mix this really well. This is your filling.

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13)remove it to a bowl and let it cool completely. You can make the filling upto 3 to 4 days in advance and store in fridge. You can gently warm it before making modak.

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Making Modak Dough

14)For making dough. Take water in a sauce pan. Add salt to taste.

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15)Add a spoon of ghee or oil into the water and bring this to a full boil.

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16)Now the water started to boil.

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17)Now add in rice flour into the boiling water and keep mixing.

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18)Mix the dough really well till the rice flour thickens and the dough is formed.

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19)The dough will be sticky at this point. But as it cools, it will get even firm. take the cooked modak dough in a large bowl. Add in a spoon of ghee or oil and mix well. Allow the dough to cool completely.

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20)Knead this till it gets soft and smooth without any cracks. Cover the dough with damp cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.

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Shaping Modak with mould

21)Now the coconut filling must have cooled. Take small portions from this and shape the filling into small balls. Set aside.

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22)Now take modak mould. There are many variety of modak mould available in the market. This is the one which I use.

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23)It opens three times and it is easy to use as well.

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24)Now take modak mould and grease it lightly with oil or ghee. This ensures the modak comes out clean without breaking.

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25)Take small portion of dough and place it into the closed modak mould.

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26)use your fingers to spread the dough evenly into the modak mould.

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27)Now the dough is evenly spread into the mould. Make sure the dough is slightly thick and not too thin.

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28)Place the filling in, since we have shaped the filling into small balls, this will be easier.

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29)Cover it with more dough. gently press so the dough sticks well.

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30)Now release the mould, you will have a modak.

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31)Modak made with a mould is ready. Arrange it on a greased plate and set aside.

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Shaping Modak (without Mould)

32)For shaping modak without a mould is easy. Grease your hands slightly with oil. Take a small portion of dough. Roll it into a smooth ball.

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33)Now use two of your fingers to press it gently so it flattens. Make sure the outer cover is thin as possible.

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34)Now place the coconut filling into the flattened rice flour dough.

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35)Bring all the sides together and stick together gently.

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36)Roll it into a smooth ball.

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37)Thats it, modak without mould is ready.

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38)This is modak made with mould.

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39)These are modak made without mould. I personally prefer the one made without mould. It is my favorite.

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Steaming Modak

40)For steaming modak, it is important to line the steamer with a damp cloth. This helps the base of the modak not to stick to the pan.

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41)place the modak into the steamer.

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42)Cover the pot with lid and steam for 5 to 8 minutes.

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43)Modak is steamed. Once it is steamed, remove the steamer plate from steamer and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the plate. This will set the modak. Now gently remove and serve.

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44)Serve.

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Expert Tips

• It is recommended to use homemade rice flour in making modak for best results. But store bought can be used as well.
• Dark coloured jaggery has intense sweet flavour.
• Always make sure the dough | kozhukattai maavu is made soft and pliable. If you make it tough, then it will be hard to roll.
• When rolling the dough, make sure there is no cracks.
• Steam for the mentioned time and not more than that.
• Instead of jaggery you can use sugar as well.
• Nuts can be added in filling but it is not traditional.

FAQ

How many calories does one Modak have?

One Modaks have 85 calories per serving. 32 calories come from carbohydrates, 12 from proteins, and the remaining 40 calories, or 40 calories, are from fat.

What is real modak made of?

A modaks sweet filling is made of freshly grated coconut and jaggery, while the outer soft shell is made of rice flour or wheat flour mixed
with khava or maida flour.

Which rice flour is best for modak?

Store bought rice flour or homemade rice flour can be used in making modak.

How many modaks are offered to Lord Ganesha?

This is why we offer 21 Modaks to Lord Ganesha

More Kozhukattai (Modak Recipes) to Try

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If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.

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