Modak is Bhagwan Ganesha’s favorite sweet and made in many Hindu homes during the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi Festival. The most popular variety of modak that is made is Ukadiche Modak (steamed modak) which is from the Maharashtrian Cuisine. In this post I am sharing two ways of making modak recipe – with mould and without the mould.
Table of Contents
What is Modak
Modak are steamed dumplings with an outer rice flour dough and a coconut-jaggery stuffing. These sweet dumplings are also known as Ukadiche Modak in Marathi language.
The word ukadiche means ‘that which is steamed’ or ‘steamed’. The word ‘ukad’ also means steamed rice flour dough. So in simple English “Ukadiche Modak” means steamed modak.
The South Indian variation of Ukadiche Modak is called Kozhukattai or Kolukattai which is made during Vinayaka Chaturthi in the Southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
How is Ukadiche Modak made
For the Ukadiche Modak, the coconut-jaggery stuffing and rice dough are made initially. Then, portions of the rice dough are shaped in a ball, flattened and filled with the stuffing.
The edges of the flattened rice dough is then pleated, folded and shaped to make a beautiful fluted dumpling what we call as Modak. After shaping the Modak is then steamed.
Modak can be shaped in many ways. You can make them with the fluted petal shape or even in the shape of half-moon similar to Karanji and Gujiya.
To give the fluted shape with hands some practice and experience is required. I prefer to use modak moulds as I find shaping with them is quicker than shaping with hands.
Many shops begin to sell the modak moulds before Ganesh Chaturthi festival. You can even buy them online. If you are beginners then you can make the half-moon shape for modak or buy the moulds.
Making modak recipe does take quite some time and can be a messy affair, especially if you don’t get the texture of the rice dough right.
By practice, you will learn to make better modak at home. Preparing modak recipe does require patience and effort. It is good if you have the modak moulds. They make the stuffing work easier.
There is another variant of modak recipe where the outer crust is made from whole wheat flour and fried – called Fried Modak. Also these Rava Modak also do not require any steaming.
On Ganesh Chaturthi Festival
This year Ganesh Chaturthi is starting on August 31, 2022 and as usual will last for 10 days.
A happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all the readers, in advance. I pray that Bhagwan Ganesha bestows prosperity, luck and blessings to everyone. If you are looking for recipes which are made during Ganesha festival then you can check this list of Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes.
The Ganesh Chaturthi festival is one festival I have grown up with. I would see as a kid how we, the devotees of Bhagwan Ganesha would bring him and worship him with so much love and prayerfulness in our hearts and homes.
This aspect of devotion and gratitude became a part of me and is something which I still have. I can never forget those days when I would simply wait for Ganesh Chaturthi festival and would not like when we had to leave Bhagwan Ganesha.
I would also wait to have the sumptuous feast, the prashad (prasad) or naivedya or bhog that was first offered to Bhagwan Ganesha and then to us. This feast had its own beautiful feeling of love and devotion infused in it.
The vegetarian feast served on plantain leaf, would consist of satvik (made without onion and garlic) food.
So there would be poori, puran poli, lentil stew (varan), a sautéed vegetable dish, steamed rice, curd, ladoo, Banana Sheera and of course modak in this feast.
Modak is a favorite sweet of the family too. We all like the sweet jaggery and coconut stuffing inside the modak. This stuffing is similar to the stuffing in Patholi (a Konkani sweet dish of rice flour pockets or rolls steamed in turmeric leaves).
Patholi is a sweet that is made during the Gauri-Ganesh festival in the regions of Konkan and Goa.
How to make Modak
Make Sweet Stuffing
1. Chop the jaggery and keep aside. Also grate the coconut and set aside. You will need 1 cup jaggery and 1 cup fresh grated coconut.
If you do not have access to fresh coconut, then use frozen coconut or desiccated coconut.
For desiccated coconut use fine grates or fine shreds. Is using frozen coconut, thaw it prior to cooking.
2. Heat ghee in a pan. Add ½ teaspoon poppy seeds. Keep heat to a low. Fry for some seconds till the poppy seeds start crackling.
3. Then add 1 cup grated fresh coconut (100 grams) and 1 cup chopped jaggery (200 grams).
4. Mix well and cook this coconut-jaggery mixture on a low heat.
5. The jaggery will melt first. Cook on a low heat and stir often.
6. Stirring often cook this mixture till the moisture from the jaggery begins to dry – about 7 to 9 minutes. Switch off the heat.
Don’t overcook as the jaggery then hardens. Keep this coconut-jaggery filling aside and let it cool completely. On cooling, the mixture will thicken more.
7. The following is an optional step. You can add 1 tablespoon rice flour to this mixture and mix well.
The rice flour helps to absorb moisture if any from the sweet stuffing. Set the stuffing aside to cool.
Make Rice Flour Dough
8. In a pan add 1.5 cups water, ¼ teaspoon oil or ghee and ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep it on the stovetop.
9. Let this mixture come to a boil.
10. Add 1 cup rice flour (150 grams). You can use Homemade Rice Flour or packaged flour. Make sure the rice flour is fresh and within its shelf period.
11. Quickly stir and mix the rice flour with the water.
12. Stir till all the rice flour is mixed with the water. Switch off the heat. Remove the pan from the burner and keep on the workplace. Cover the pan with a lid for 4 to 5 minutes.
13. Now take all the dough in a plate or thali or in a bowl. Gather the dough together and begin to knead it.
The dough will be hot when you begin to knead. So spread some water on your palms and knead the dough. Knead the dough very well.
If you feel the dough looks dense or hard or dry, then just add a few teaspoons of warm water and continue to knead.
14. Knead to a smooth and soft dough without any lumps.
15. Make small balls from the dough. Roll the balls till smooth in your palms. You can also apply some water on your palms, while rolling the balls.
Keep the balls covered with a kitchen towel. The balls should not have cracks. They should be smooth in appearance.
Shape Modak Without Mould
16. Take a ball and flatten it with your fingers or on your palms, to a round disc or a shallow bowl shape to a medium thickness.
You can apply ghee or oil in your palms, while flattening. You can keep the edges slightly thin and the center can be thick.
17. Place a few teaspoons of the prepared stuffing in the center.
18. Press the edges as shown in the pic below. You can also press the edges first and then place the stuffing.
19. Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough from the top, if any. Shape and taper the top of the modak with your fingers.
You can also use ready modak moulds. They are usually available in shops and market some days before the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Shape Modak With Mould
20. Grease the modak mould with a bit of ghee or oil. Then close or lock the mould. Put the dough ball inside the mould and press it so that a space is made in the center. The rice dough will form a layer touching the walls of the mould.
21. Place the sweet stuffing.
22. Cover the bottom with a small piece of dough. Press and smoothen it sealing the modak.
23. Open or unlock the modak mould. Remove the modak gently from the mould. Shape all modaks this way with mould.
Keep the shaped modak covered with a napkin so that the rice dough does not dry out.
24. Make all the modak this way. Brush or grease a pan with some oil or ghee. The pan can also be lined with banana leaves or turmeric leaves.
Place the shaped modak in the greased pan with some space around them.
Steam Modak
25. Take 2 to 2.5 cups water in a pot, pressure cooker or an Instant Pot steel insert. Place a trivet or a rack. Heat the water till starts to boil on a high heat.
For instant pot, use the sauté option and let the water begin to boil.
26. I have stacked two pans for steaming 16 modak. But you can also steam the modak in separate batches.
Remember to cover the shaped modak with a moist muslin or cotton napkin before you begin to steam.
27. Cover the pan and steam modak for 10 to 15 minutes on medium-low heat. Once steamed, drizzle a few teaspoons on ghee on them if you prefer.
Some modak may crack while shaping or steaming, but it is fine. You can forgive yourself if you are making modak for the first time.
The modak should not feel sticky to touch when cooked perfectly. If they look or feel sticky, then steam them for a few minutes more.
On the Instant Pot, use the steam function on high pressure for steaming and keep the steam vent in venting position so that the steam releases while steaming.
Use a stop watch to set the time to 10 or 12 minutes. When the steaming is complete, lift the valve carefully to remove any pressure and then open the lid.
28. Ukadiche Modak is ready for offering Bhagwan Ganesha. Modak keeps well for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
While serving after refrigerating, steam them in a pan till warm or sprinkle some water on them and microwave till warm.
Important Note: If you are making the Modak recipe as prasad or naivedyam, then please refrain from tasting the stuffing or the dough.
Prepare with the utmost care, love and devotion and this prasad of modak will nourish everyone’s being subtly. Use clean utensils and good quality ingredients and prepare them in a clean and hygienic manner.
Expert Tips
- Rice dough: While making the Modak recipe, the most trickiest part for many is to get the correct texture in the rice dough. If the dough is dry, you will find it difficult to shape and the resulting texture after steaming will be chewy and dense. The proportion of rice flour to water I use work perfectly for a smooth and soft dough. However do note that depending on the texture of rice flour, you may need to add a bit less or more water.
- Stuffing: Overcooking the stuffing for this Modak recipe will result in the jaggery become hard and chewy. If this happens, then just sprinkle a few tablespoons of hot water in the mixture and stir well. The hot water will breakdown the hard consistency of the jaggery and make them soft. You can even sprinkle some water and cook the mixture on low heat until it softens.
- Cracks in the dough: Less water will result in the dough being dry and having cracks. If you add more oil or ghee than this will result in the dough tearing when you shape it.
- Flattening and Shaping: Do not flatten the dough too thin or too thick. A thin dough will tear while shaping and a thick dough will take more time to cook and does not taste pleasant.
FAQs
The Maharashtrian term ‘ukadiche’ means ‘steamed.’ Since these modaks are primarily prepared by steaming, hence, known as Ukadiche Modak.
Technically no, as both these are different and are unique in their own way. One most important factor that differentiates the two is that a modak will essentially have a sweet filling whereas a traditional momo has a savory or salty filling.
There certainly is. The Kozhukattai can pretty much be termed as the South Indian version of the Ukadiche Modak recipe.
If the jaggery mixture hardens, you can sprinkle some hot water in it and mix. This will loosen the hardness in the mixture.
If the outer dough becomes dry, then the modaks can crack open while steaming. Make sure that the modaks are not dry after being shaped and should always be covered with a clean kitchen towel. You must also keep the dough covered with a lid or a kitchen towel.
This can be due to less water in the rice dough. So, 2 to 3 teaspoons or more of warm water can be added to the dough and kneaded again till smooth.
If fine cracks appear while shaping, just dab your fingers with some water and shape. The cracks will fade away.
Also, make sure to knead the dough very well. While flattening the dough balls, you can sprinkle some drops of water on your palms or fingers and then flatten.
You can use watermelon seeds or sesame seeds. You can even make the modaks without any of these seeds.
Yes, you can prepare the modaks in advance and store. Keep them in a casserole or in an air-tight steel box. Make sure to cover the box tightly and then refrigerate. Like this, you can store the modaks for 2 to 3 days.
Yes, you can. But remember, the dry coconut/desiccated coconut-jaggery mixture will take less time to cook as compared to the fresh coconut-jaggery mixture. The taste will also be different in both.
More Modak Variants To Try!
Sweets Recipes
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Modak Recipe (With & Without Mould)
Ingredients
For the dough cover
- 1 cup Rice Flour – 150 grams
- 1.5 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon Ghee or oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For sweet stuffing
- 1 cup fresh grated coconut – 100 grams
- 1 cup finely chopped jaggery or grated or powdered jaggery – 200 grams
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder or 6 to 7 green cardamoms, powdered in a mortar-pestle & husks removed
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder (jaiphal powder), optional
- ½ teaspoon poppy seeds (khus khus), optional
- ½ teaspoon Ghee or oil
- 1 tablespoon Rice Flour – optional
Instructions
Making sweet stuffing
- Heat ghee in a pan. Keep heat to a low. Add poppy seeds. Fry for some seconds till the poppy seeds start crackling.
- Then add grated fresh coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder and grated nutmeg. Mix well and cook this coconut-jaggery mixture on a low heat. The jaggery will melt first.
- Stirring often cook this mixture for 7 to 9 minutes till the moisture from the jaggery begins to dry. Switch off the heat. Don’t overcook as the jaggery then hardens.
- Keep this coconut-jaggery filling aside to cool. Note that on cooling, this stuffing mixture will thicken more.
- You can also add a bit of rice flour to this mixture. This is an optional step. The rice flour helps to absorb moisture, if any from the filling.
Making rice flour dough
- In a pan add water, oil or ghee and salt. Keep it on the stove top. Let this mixture come to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and add the rice flour gradually. Quickly stir and mix the flour with the water. Stir till all the rice flour is mixed with the water.
- Switch off the heat. Remove the pan from the stove top and then cover this pan with a lid for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Now take all the dough in a large plate or thali or in a bowl. Gather the dough together and begin to knead it.
- The dough will be hot when, you begin to knead. So apply some water on your palms and knead the dough.
- Knead the dough very well. If you feel the dough looks dense or hard or dry, then just add a few teaspoons of warm water and continue to knead.
- Make small balls from the dough. Roll the balls till smooth in your palms. You can also apply some water on your palms, while rolling the balls.
- Keep the balls covered with a kitchen towel. The balls should be smooth in appearance and should not have any cracks.
Making modak without mould
- Take a ball and flatten it with your fingers to a round disc or a shallow bowl shape. You can apply ghee or oil in your palms while flattening. Place the sweet filling in the center.
- Flute and press the edges. Bring together all the edges and join them. Remove the extra portion of the dough from the top, if any. Shape and taper the top of the modak with your fingers.
Making modak with mould
- Grease the modak mould with a bit of ghee or oil. Then close or lock the mould. Put the dough ball inside the mould and press it so that a space is made. Place the sweet stuffing.
- Cover the bottom with a small piece of dough. Press and smoothen it sealing the modak.
- Open or unlock the modak mould. Remove the modak gently from the mould. Shape all modaks this way with mould.
- Keep the shaped modak covered with a napkin so that the rice dough does not dry out. Make all the modak this way.
Steaming modak
- Grease a steamer pan lightly with oil or ghee. Place the shaped modak in the greased pan with some space between them. Cover with a kitchen napkin.
- Take 2 to 2.5 cups water in a pot, pressure cooker or an Instant Pot steel insert. Place a trivet or a rack.
- Heat the water on high flame until begins to boil. For instant pot, use the sauté option and let the water begin to boil.
- The water should be hot or boiling when you place the modak in the large pan. Cover the pan and steam modak for 10 to 15 minutes on a medium-low heat.
- On the Instant Pot, use the steam function on high for steaming and keep the steam vent in venting position so that the steam releases while steaming. Use a stop watch to set the time to 10 or 12 minutes.
- Once the ukadiche modak are steamed, you can drizzle a few teaspoons of ghee on them.
- Note that after steaming, the modak should not feel sticky to touch. If the feel sticky, then steam for a few more minutes.
- Offer the Modak to Bhagwan Ganesha.
Notes
- Rice Flour: You can use homemade rice flour or packaged rice flour.
- Jaggery: You can use a block of jaggery or even powdered jaggery.
- Coconut: In place of fresh coconut, you can add frozen grated coconut or desiccated coconut. For desiccated coconut use fine grates or fine shreds.
- Poppy seeds: You can easily skip poppy seeds.
- Dough: Make sure that the dough does not become dry or sticky. If the dough is dry, then add some more water. If it is sticky add some more rice flour.
- Stuffing: Do not overcook the stuffing as this will harden the jaggery. If this happens, then just sprinkle a few tablespoons of hot water in the stuffing mixture and mix very well. The hot water will breakdown the hard consistency of the jaggery and make them soft. You can even sprinkle some water and cook the mixture on low heat until it softens.
- Cracks in the dough: Less water will result in the dough being dry and having cracks. Do not add more oil or ghee than what is mentioned in the recipe as this will result in the dough tearing when you shape it.
- Flattening and Shaping: Do not flatten the dough too thin or too thick. A thin dough will tear while shaping and a thick dough will take more time to cook and will taste doughy and unpleasant.
- Note that the nutritional information is for 1 modak.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Modak recipe post from the archives first published in September 2010 has been updated and republished on 25 August 2022.
Hi Dassana
Can’t stop myself from expressing gratitude for this site
Everything is made with such love !!! Hope one day i can taste sweets you did yourself haha. LOVE
Thanks so much. Hope so!
Your knowledge of Tamil is amazing as always !!!
Thanks!
Hi! You are my go-to person (website :)) for any Veg recipe, and not once have i been disappointed. Tried the modak today for the first time.. except for the jaggery mixture hardening a bit- which i realised i overcooked, it turned out really really good! Thanks so so much!
Thank you Rasika for the feedback and glad to know that the modak was good. If the jaggery mixture hardens you can add sprinkle hot water in it and mix. It will make the jaggery loose the hardness.
Hi Dassana,
Thank you so much. All your recepies are very well explained. From past 7-8 years I have learnt & made so many recipies watching your videos. I learnt making sweets / desserts & my kids love them.
Thanks & lots of love & best wishes dear.
Meenakshi
Hi Meenakshi, thanks a lot for your lovely comment and kind wishes. Felt good to read and I am glad that the videos and the recipes are helpful. Most welcome and wish you all the best.
Never made modak must try it out
My modaks all cracked open while steaming. What could I have done wrong? Could you pls share a tip to prevent this from happening the other time
The modak should not dry out after being shaped and should always be covered with a kitchen towel. If the outer dough becomes dry, then they may crack while steaming. Even the dough should be covered with a lid or a kitchen napkin. I hope this helps.
Excellent way of explaining, specially the foot note. Thank you for not just sharing this wonderful and traditional receipe, but also for your gesture to protect the divinity and culture around making MODAK !
May Bappa always keep the Annapurna within you protected and blessed🙏😇🥰
Thank you so much. Touched by your comment and kind wishes. Wish you a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi festival full of peace, abundance and joy.
Your writeup are as lovely as the recipes. Your mentioning not to taste the filling is so apt.
May lord Ganesha bless you.
thank you priya for the kind wishes. wish you a happy ganesh chaturthi festival.
Hi Dassana.. thanks for this recipe and thanks for all ur recipes. I usually follow your site to make food. It has, to some extent, reduced my anxiety of making food every day, which was quite troublesome for me before. I simply love the way you describe the preparation method with the pictures, quantities (which we can adjust as per our needs), the do’s and don’ts. Thank you so much for making life easier. May Lord Ganesha bless you with happiness and joy. 🙂
hi pooja, thank you so much for this lovely feedback and also for your kind wishes. wish you a happy ganesh chaturthi festival and thanks again.
Hi dassana, we tried ukadiche modak but we were unable to shape them properly can you please give more comments on shaping them.
hi akash, it is due to less water in the rice dough. 2 to 3 teaspoons or more warm water can be added in the rice dough and kneaded again. if you see fine cracks while shaping, then just dap the fingers with some water and shape. the cracks will go away. also knead the dough very well. when flattening the dough balls, you can spread a few drops of water on the palms or fingers and then flatten. the shaping method shown here is the easiest. there is another way of shaping modak with many petals (pleats) and it comes only with practice. hope this helps.
Hi dassana,
Is that pic of altar of Lord Ganesha from your home? It’s very beautiful.
no Ruchi. its from the Ganesha pandal in our area ????
Oh well 🙂
Hi dassana… I HV tried this recipe.. It was awesome… Everyone loved it ..
Thank u for such fantastic recipes..
I loved ur website..
All the best… Keep it up
thanks sharvari for sharing this feedback. glad to know. happy ganesh chaturthi festival to you.
HI,
Thanks for sharing this but my coating was not smooth enough enough and kept breaking. Can you help?
some more water could have been added to the outer cover mixture. it would have become smooth.
All your recipes are top class…First time i tried steamed modaks and it turned fine…. No cracking…. Everyone liked it …. Timely for Ganesh puja!….I would have liked the covering to be thinner… Any tips? Thanks for sharing!
thanks a lot brinda. for the covering to be thin, you have to flatten more with the fingers till you get a thin cover. its not difficult but just need more practice and patience.
Hi!! I love steamed modaks. Iv been making them for a while now, but I have no idea how to store them. I wanted to make them a day in advance at least as they are time consuming.
Plz help! Is there any way that I could store them? At least for 24hrs
shannon, store modaks in a casserole or in an air tight steel box. do cover the box tightly. then refrigerate. you can easily keep for 2 to 3 days.
Can we use watermelon seeds instead of poppy seeds? I am going to try it for the first time and want it to come out superb.
Ankita, yes you can use watermelon seeds. If you want then you can skip adding poppy seeds (or watermelon seeds) also.
Hi can I make madak a day before and eat them next them
Monika, yes you can. but if you are making it for lord ganesha then make it fresh and don’t taste it while making. best taste come when eaten fresh.
Wonderful step-by-step recipe! Mentioned this in my blogpost on festival snacks
thanks again subha.
Hi Dassana,
I tried this recipe for steamed modak but my modaks were not cooked properly even after 20 – 25 minutes on low flame in a steamer.
The upper portion was undercooked and rest was fine. Not sure what went wrong . I felt really bad so made fried modak next day and they were perfect
Ritu
ritu, fine. no issues. as we all have cooking mishaps at times. thats how we learn. don’t feel bad. it appears that the rice flour dough was under cooked. as 20 to 25 minutes is a long time to steam modaks. also could be that the upper portion must have had too much of rice dough and must be thick. thats why it was not cooked well. but i am glad that the fried modaks came out good for you. hope you had a lovely ganesh chaturthi festival.
Hello,
I tried this recipe and it came out so well. Modak were tasty and didnt break at all. Sweetness of filling was just about right. I am glad becasue it was my first try and every thing went well. I love all your recipes.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
thanks neha for positive feedback 🙂 glad you liked the modaks, welcome always.
Hii
I have a query,
Can I use dry coconut powder instead of fresh grated coconut? Is it make any difference in steaming?
you can use dry coconut. in steaming does not make any difference. one difference would be that dry coconut+jaggery mixture will take less time to cook than the fresh coconut+jaggery mixture. also the taste of modak will be different when made with dry coconut.
Thanks!! I will try to make
surely try digvijay and do share your views once you make the modaks.
I tried your recipe today and the modaks turned out very well. This was my first time making modaks and I was happy with the results. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Have a good day ?
Welcome Namrata. Glad to know that you liked ukadiche modak recipe. Happy cooking.
Hi . I don’t have a special steamer. Just wondering if cooker without the whistle will do? Thanks
R
welcome rakhee. yes it will do.
Hi, I made modaks first time yesterday & the modaks turn out just awesome. Though I made it first time, the modaks didn’t crack at all. The taste was also too good & the sweetness was perfect. Everyone loved it. I am very happy that in first attempt the modaks turn out so good.Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Your receips are very easy & best to make.
welcome neha, pleased to know this. thanks for your kind, encouraging and motivating words. god bless you.
Thanks a lot for the timely reply.
I will surely try this.
sure roshni do try and let us know how the modaks were? thanks.
Hi,
I have a query.
Can I use brown rice.
Like the same way Mangalore style pundi is made. Using the same batter can I make modaks.
you can use brown rice and use the method of mangalore style pundi. there is another way where instead of making modaks, you can steam the rice batter in a turmeric leaves or banana leaves. you can use ground rice batter or rice flour batter. we call these as patholi. here is a post with step by step pics – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/patholi-recipe/
modak gets cracked after one day so how it can be prepared so that it does not cracks.
the rice dough has to be smooth. if there are fine cracks while making the dough bowls, then just apply some water on your palms and the cracks will smoothen up. also keep them stored in a tupper ware or casserole so that the outer cover does not become too dry.
Hi Dassana,
Hope you’re fine. Please tell me which brand of jaggery powder you’ve used in this recipe as I want to try making modak for Ganesh Chaturthi this year.
Thanks & regards,
Neeti
neeti i use organic jaggery powder for modak recipe, hope this information helps you.
MadamJi, I will tell my wife to try modak this Chathurthi….
Amazed to see Date update, Appreciate your Attentiveness which make your blog “THE BEST “
thank a lot shailesh ji. i have updated the date as it will help the readers.
Hi, I am going to make them for first time this year on ganesh chaturthi. Can you please let me know if we can store them in fridge for day or two.
Thanks,
firstly all the best for preparing modaks. yes you can store them in the fridge for a couple of days. place them in an air tight container or you can place them in a casserole. so that the outer cover does not dry out. after refrigeration the outer cover does become dense, so you can let the modaks come to room temperature or sprinkle some water on them and microwave for some seconds.
Respected madam, I made these modak twice. First time the filling was little hard as I cooked it for little longer time. But second time the filling was perfect and the modaks were awesome. But with God Grace and your instructions, though I made them only twice the modaks did not break nor crack while steaming. They were perfect. Nearly 10 people ate them and all of them loved it. Thank you very very much. Ur recipes are simple to prepare and The best.
firstly thank you vijay for your positive feedback 🙂 secondly making modak is an art the more times you make you will master the art. glad to know your folks loved the modak. you are welcome always.
I have never been to Maharashtra, but my friend told me that modaks are really nice. So I am going to give it a try with your awesome detailed recipe. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with us.
welcome moumita yes modak is a traditional recipe of maharashtra it takes times but worth every bit of effort. surely try and let us know how it was? thankyou
You guys are absolutely amazing and your recipies are so flawless. None of the dishes I tried from here has ever gone wrong. This page is like another mother/ mother in law for me ;-).
Modaks, I thought were the toughest to do ( they may break and ooze out, the shape, thickness could go wrong and all those concerns) but this made it look so simple and was simple and tasty/ presentable in actual too!! Keep adding in more n more recipies.. M so dependent on you guys 🙂 😉 Biiiig Thank you!!
thats sweet and kind of you yamini. thank you much.
I absolutely love this website. The recipes are easy to follow.
thanks leah
This recipe was very helpful:) I will definitely be making this in the near future. I am a budding cook trying out various recipes, any suggestions?
thanka ajay. there are many recipes posted on the blog. using the google search bar on the top, you can easily find the recipes. in fact most of the recipes are easy to prepare.
was very easy to follow the method
thanks manoj
very clearly explained recipe. Inspires me to try making modak.
thanks deepa
Hello Mam
Mam today I tried this recipe for Ganesh Festival ….as I am from Punjab I got Rice flour very hardly here….but problem I faced in making this is…..while making shape my modak base ( Rice with Water ) breaks from little little spaces….I really get depressed as I cooked for Festival… 🙁 plz guide mam
please don’t get depressed mehak. when first time made, there are bound to be problems. making perfect modaks comes from experience. as you make modaks often you will get the knack of making them perfect. the dough has to be soft and smooth and when flattened the round disc should neither be thin nor thick. moreover the consistency of the jaggery-coconut mixture should be correct.
ok Mam,
Thanks for ur reply 🙂 i will sure do practice to make perfect one…actually as I am from punjab I never tasted these rice flour modaks so I was really worried 🙁 but u know what happened ….whn i serve in front on Ganesh Ji then of course it turns into “Bhog” it taste quite good 🙂
actually mehak, modaks tastes very good. so even if the cover is broken here and there, the taste is still good. and what matters the most is the devotion and love that we have while preparing naivdeyam or bhog 🙂
Hello Mam…….u were right ….love make things more tastier and delicious ….n when prepared for Divine it become obvious 🙂 I tried again n this time it was perfect 🙂 thx for ur support 🙂
welcome mehak
thanks dassana for easy and clear recipe.
thanks anjali
Please check this youtube video. We call it as Yomari but it is similar one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByOr3FDqx0I
thanks ram for sharing this video. looks like yomari is similar to modak.
Hi Dasana,
I dont know cooking beginner like me this slide will help me a lot i must try at home today thank you so much
meena, as a beginner you might not be able to give perfect shape to modaks. but as far as taste is concerned, feel confident about this recipe and go ahead and make this modak recipe for ganesh chaturthi festival.
HI DASSANA…..the explantaion of modak dish was nice.. i really liked it.. thanks
thanks anusri.
hey Dassana i made modaks yesterday and they turned out to be so good that i was amazed at myself that how could i make so perfect and that too first time..thanks so much for such easy explanation..
thank you suhani. feels so good. it is possible that one can be a novice and yet make perfect dishes the first time 🙂
Thank you for the lovely recipe. I tried it today morning and it turn out so well. Thank you so much, its an encouragement for a beginner like me. A well written step by step recipe.
thanks for your encouraging notes nava 🙂
hey Dassana..i wanted to know that can i use dessicated coconut instead of fresh one..will it bind well with the jaggery..and also can i use puran poli filling recipe of urs in the modak..
hi suhani… you can use dessicated coconut instead of fresh coconut. you can also add sesame seeds if you like, in this mixture. yes, you can use puran poli filling with or without coconut in the modak.
Presented in a nice way, any one who is learning cooking for the first time this website will help u…
thanks saritha for the lovely comments
Nice article and Awesome modak. It is kind of hard to prepare it and buy it outside. At mealnut, we home deliver modak prepared by experts like you. If you want it to be home delivered, order on mealnut.com
Very helpful recipe. Thanks so much for all the photos and details. Really helps a first-timer 🙂 Now I am confident about being able to offer this to Lord Ganesh this year! A Happy Ganesha Chaturthi to you!
happy ganesh chaturthi to you to anu. i hope you make great modaks for lord ganesha.
presented in a nice way. step by step. my modak also break as u mentioned but taste was good.
thanks shalini. sometimes the modaks do break, but the taste is always good.
It’s tasty
thanks for the modak recipe .i always hav problems doing it, now i can do better modaks this year.
thanks
Hey… thanks for the post… In Bengali we call sweet rice does of this kind as “puli pithe” but I never had the idea that modak is also made in the same manner… 😀 thanks a ton… yumms am actually feeling hungry… would ask mom to make once again today itself… 😀
thanks sudeshna for taking out the time to comment on so many posts. i did not know you have a similar sweet in bengali cuisine.
yup we mainly have it during the bengali month of “Chaitra” which is last month of the bengali calender and during that time most of the harvesting is ready…. so its a celebration time… we even have a dish called “pati shapta” mom makes it with suji and rice mixture with water.. make it like small dosa pattern and fill it with khoya (i preffer it with sweet coconut filling) and roll it… these dishes continues till poila baisakh… you can even try making the same dumplings (steamed) and put it into sweet milk.. its called “dudh puli”
thanks for sharing these bengali sweets sudeshna. in konkan/goa there is a similar dish called as “patoli” made with rice flour and stuffed with coconut-jaggery mixture and then steamed in turmeric/haldi leaves. the dudh puli sounds interesting.
after reading your comments yesterday i went through a bengali cookbook which i have. i had got the cookbook some months ago but did not read it all. the book has so many delicious bengali recipes and that too easy to make.in fact i was thinking to make bhappa doi and some more bengali recipes and even putting it on the blog…
Nice Recipe. I prepared it today. My hubby & my son both loved it.
The details & picture both helped me to prepare it in the right way.
Thanxs for a lot.
thanks sunitha. felt good to know that your family loved the modak recipe.
what beautiful and slender fingers and palme more than the modak i have fallen in love with your palm
hey its very nice picture presentation. i clearly understood the preparation of modak with this. thank you
thanks anitha…
Hi,
Happy Anant chaturdarshi to all. Tried “Ukideche Modak and they turned out to be excellent n very tasty prasad….As if Lord Ganesh showered his blessing in terms of the real sweetness in my homemade MODAK. Everyone appreciated in my family too.
Thanks and Regards,
dear harsha, that’s so nice to know.
i am really pleased… i pray that lord ganesha keeps on showering His blessings on you and your family….
Thanks for sharing..
I must do this..
do try the modak recipe, guruprasad…
hi,
Oh! i see lol that was taken with yellow lights!!. The Modakas that I prepared was really nice and came out good. My family like it ..and i am very happy to say that I could prepare this sweet now. Thankyou so much for the explanation and the easy instructions with pics.
Happy cooking and good luck
thats nice to know prerana. happy cooking and good luck to you too…
it is a very good receip.
Thank you very much
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi
thanks malati and happy ganesh chaturthi to you too.
Wishing you Happy Ganesh Chathurti. I loved your recipe and you have explained it in a detailed step by step process.
thank you lalita and wish you too a happy ganesh chaturthi
Hi,
Happy Ganesha festival,
Thankyou very much for the wonderful step by step procedure. Today I did try it…i hope it tastes good after naivedhyam. ..but i have one question. The final modhaka looks still very white instead of golden color like yours…i have pressure cooked it without whistle for 10mins but color is white….please explain about pressure cooking…like do we have to add water at bottom in the cooker and if i add the whistle will it turn golden….yellowish color.
thankyou
prerana
happy ganesha festival to you too prerana.
the modaks look golden yellow as the pics were taken in my living room with yellow lights 🙂
if you carefully observe the other pics, the pics of the modaks taken in the kitchen are white.
the modaks remain white even after cooking.
secondly we need to add water in the pressure cooker for steaming. you could also use idli racks with the idli vessel for steaming the modaks. its exactly like steaming idlis.
if using pressure cooking the whistle/vent weight has to be removed.
i hope that the modaks have turned out well.
My mom does in a heavy bottom kadai.. takes the water in lower level, puts a smaller dish into that and then cover that with a big thali and puts a heavy weight on that… 🙂
thanks sudeshna for sharing the method which your mom uses.
thank you for the step by step pictures and for the clear and easy directions to make these modaks. Happy Ganesha Chaturthi -May the Divine bless you and grace you abundantly always.
thanks rsn. may the divine shower blessings on you too…
Hiii,being a malvani I like ur recipe .I hv shifted to Malaysia wid my husband so missing Ganesh festival but will try to make modak for sure thanks a lot
thanks shilpa…. do try the modaks…
i love it.. avery nice recipe……….
a well explained step-by-step procedure of modaks.
thanks prachi
I like the recipe of MODAK very much.It is provided with fully satsfying recipe with colourful pictures.I WILL TRY TO MAKE MODAKS AT MY HOME.
A nice recipe.This sweet dish enjoyed by all family members.Thanks.
A nice recipe. Modak prepared twice its ok and satisfied.
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!
I hope this dish really enjoy our Lord Ganesha!
The way you are taking care and especially Wonder Love and devotion while preparing.
I do remember this while prepare.
Thanks a lot.
God bless you.
same to you and I pray that Lord Ganesha bestows peace and prosperity in your life. Thanks for the appreciation. God bless you too.