I love Modaks! They are rice dumplings with coconut filling specially prepared in Maharashtra during the Ganesh Festival. It is difficult to get them at any restaurant, in frozen packs or any other way in the US. So the only solution is to embark on the difficult journey of actually cooking them.
The difficult part of modak for me is the artistic design of the dumpling and to achieve that, it is necessary to get the rice flour mixture perfect.
For the cover
1 cup of rice flour
1 cup water
pinch of salt
Heat the water in a wok and then add the rice flour. Mix well, cover it for couple of minutes and done!
It is as simple as that, but somehow it is tricky. The finished dough needs to be soft yet cooked. You can adjust the water and rice flour proportions based on trial and error. But these proportions are a good start.
For the stuffing
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup jaggery (sugar might work, but jaggery adds a special authentic touch)
Mix both the ingredients and stir it on low flame till jaggery melts and combines with the coconut. You can add cardamom and dry fruits to elevate the flavor.
Now comes the tricky part, make a dough ball, flaten it, fill it with the filling and close it. Fold the way based on the picture. It is difficult to describe the process in words, but even if you make balls, they will be delicious.
Once the modaks/balls are made, steam them for 10 min.
Done! Enjoy the hot, steaming modaks with ghee (Indian butter)
No comments:
Post a Comment