Ukdiche Modak Recipe for Ganesh

Ukdiche Modak is an Indian steamed rice dumpling stuffed with jaggery and coconut.  This gluten-free recipe is the highlight of Ganesh Chathurthi! The festival is celebrated in honour of Lord Ganesh.

Modaks are said to be his favourite and are often the most popular “prasad,” an offering. It is a healthy and delicious sweet dish perfect for the season. You can also watch the video I have shared below!

Ukdiche Modak and deep-fried Modak are traditional offerings to the Lord Ganesh. Now we have chocolate and other kinds of fusion Modak being offered. The steamed dumpling is also made for “Sankasthi Chathurthi” which falls every month. On Sankasthi day in the evening after moonrise worship and offerings to Ganesh are a norm.

Bhadrapada Chathurthi is when we welcome Gajmukh Ganpathi into our homes and hearts. Since he loves Modak an offering called prasad of 21 modaks is customary. The story about why 21 you can check here. This prasad is then distributed among the devotees.

Ukdiche modak has a special place in my heart. Every year, without fail, my daughter Akanksha and I would make these together. It was noisy and messy, but we’d always end up giggling at the shapes we managed to pull together. It also helped that over the years we actually got good at them.

Making Ukdiche Modak is not easy you need practice and patience. But they are well with the effort as they are steamed, light for digestion, vegan, gluten-free and healthy

The other sweets you may like are Kann, Mangane, Rava ladoo, and Besan ladoo. Do not forget to make some Panchamrut for Abhishek.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• FAQ
• Related
• Pairing
• Ukdiche Modak

Ingredients

These are your ingredients for quantities, please check the recipe card.

For the cover of the dumpling called Ukad:

• Rice flour
• Water
• Oil
• Salt to taste

For the Filling called Saran:

• Jaggery 
• Fresh coconut
• Elichi/cardamom powder

Optional ingredients:

• Poppy seeds
• Cashew nuts
• Raisins
• Chilli powder

Instructions

How to make rice dough (ukad) for the outer covering of modak?

• In a pan, add water and oil. Add a little salt to taste. Bring the water to a boil.
• Lower the flame Add rice flour. Switch off the flame. Mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula and cover it well. It is okay if there is dry flour in the mixture.
• After about half an hour, the dough mixture will be cooler and you can touch it. Transfer to a platform, mixing bowl or a parat (a wide plate with edges used for kneading dough).  Knead the mixture.
• If it is still hot or sticks to your hand, dip your hand in the water and knead. You can also apply a little oil to your hands.
• This is important so that you get a nice, smooth and lump-free dough.

How To Make Stuffing For Ukadiche Modak?

• In a pan heat the coconut and jaggery. I prefer to mix the two and let it stand for an hour or so.  After some time the jaggery dissolves, mix well. Then cook on medium flame.
• The mixture comes together and the jaggery will melt completely. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
• You can add poppy seeds, raisins, cashew nuts and cardamom powder. I prefer to add chilli powder in a small part.   For the rest, I add cardamom powder.
• Mix and let the moisture evaporate. Remember it will keep cooking in the pan too, once cool,  the mixture should be semi-dry.
• It takes about 5-10 minutes depending on the batch size. The more filling, the longer you will need to cook.
• Keep it aside and let it cool down completely. Remember jaggery burns are more intense.

How to shape modak by hand?

• Grease your palm with oil. Take a small ball of dough.
• Make a smooth ball. Oil your thumb and forefinger. Push into the ball with your thumb.  Start pressing with your thumb and forefinger and smoothen out the cup.
• Gently press the cup and shape it into a thinner cup. If the dough sticks to your fingers, apply a little oil.
• Start pinching the dough with your thumb and index finger and start making pleats. Make the pleats as close as you can; the modak looks beautiful.
• Halfway through, add a teaspoonful of the stuffing and finish making pleats.
• To finish making the modak, pinch the opening together. Seal the mouth of the modak.
• Keep the modak on a plate and keep it covered until you make the rest. Generally, as soon as 5-6 modaks are ready, I will start steaming them.

You can use the mould to shape your modak in 2 ways.

Method 1

• Keep some refined oil in a bowl as you will need it to grease the inside of the mould.
• Depending on the size of the mould take a small ball and press it in the mould with your finger. The centre should remain hollow. Keep some of the flour overhanging outside the mould.
• Add a teaspoon of the filling in the hollow.
• Make a small disc of the dough and apply to the base. Press well but gently.
• Open the mould and get the modak out for steaming. Keep it covered till you get a batch ready for steaming.
• Repeat the process to finish all the dough and the filling.

Method 2

• Grease a Modak mould using very little oil.
• Using your fingers and thumb make a cup.
• Add the filling and close the opening then transfer it to the mould and close the mould. In this method, you need less dough and the modak tastes as good as the hand moulded ones.

How to steam sweet dumplings?

• If you have a steamer get it ready, I use a vessel on which a colander sits snugly. In the vessel, I add water and let it come to boil.
• Apply a little oil to the base of the colander. You can also lay a  small piece of banana leaf or turmeric leaf. Apply a little oil to the base of the modak and arrange the modak on the colander. remember to keep some space between the modak. Do not crowd the colander.
• Steam them for 15 minutes on medium heat.
• Once done remove from the tray and arrange the next lot on the colander.
• As the modak cooks, they become more firm.
• Steamed modak is ready to offer to Lord Vignhesha.

How to serve Steamed Modak?

• Serve these steamed dumplings warm, drizzled with ghee. Drizzle some saffron-soaked milk on the modak.
• If you are vegan avoid the ghee, the modak tastes great without ghee too!

Substitutions

• The only ingredient you can substitute here is jaggery use either sugar, palm jaggery. The colour of your filling will depend on the jaggery. Palm jaggery will give you a deep brownish colour.

Variations

• A simple chocolatey treat is Chocolate Khoya Modak, deep fried version.
• Now, we make Kari Kadubu the stuffing here is chana dal and jaggery. This can be used to make deep-fried modak. My mother used to steam them.

Equipment

• Kadhai/ wok for the filling
• Pan for dough
• Bowl for mixing the dough
• Steamer
• Spoons and ladles

Storage

• The steamed modak is perishable and the shelf life is 1 day.
• The fried ones have a shelf life of say 2-3 days.

Pro Tips

• Buy good quality fine rice flour from the shop or make your own rice flour. This is essential to make a smooth dough called ukad. If your flour is coarse you will find it difficult to make the paari.
• Remember, rice is gluten-free and it loses what little stickiness it has as it gets older.  With the older rice flour, it gets difficult to mould plus you need more oil.
• Add a teaspoon of oil/ghee to the boiling water you can get a smooth dough fast.
• Knead the dough when warm to a smooth dough. Do not let it cool it makes shaping very difficult.
• Keep the dough covered and use only a small part out.
• Make the filling in advance so that it cools down when you start making your modak. I make the stuffing a day in advance keeping it cool, soft and delicious. (Remember jaggery burns are more intense).
• Do not cook the filling a lot if it dries out the modak and it does not taste good.
• Steam the modak only for 15 minutes.

FAQ

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favourite dishes to serve with Ukdiche Modak:

You can use the mould to shape your modak in 2 ways.

• Method 1
  • Keep some refined oil in a bowl as you will need it to grease the inside of the mould.
  • Depending on the size of the mould take a small ball and press it in the mould with your finger. The centre should remain hollow. Keep some of the flour overhanging outside the mould.
  • Add a teaspoon of the filling in the hollow.
  • Make a small disc of the dough and apply to the base. Press well but gently.
  • Open the mould and get the modak out for steaming. Keep it covered till you get a batch ready for steaming.
  • Repeat the process to finish all the dough and the filling.
    
• Method 2
  • Grease a Modak mould using very little oil.
  • Using your fingers and thumb make a cup.
  • Add the filling and close the opening then transfer it to the mould and close the mould. This method you need lesser dough and the modak tastes as good as the hand moulded ones.
    

How to steam sweet dumplings?

• If you have a steamer get it ready, I use a vessel on which a colander sits snugly. In the vessel, I add water and let it come to boil.
• Apply a little oil to the base of the colander. You can also lay a  small piece of banana leaf or turmeric leaf. Apply a little oil to the base of the modak and arrange the modak on the colander.
• Steam them for 15 minutes on medium heat.
• Once done remove from the tray and arrange the next lot on the colander.
• As the modak cook, they become more firm.
• Steamed modak is ready to offer to Lord Vignhesha.

How to serve Steamed Modak?

• Serve these steamed dumplings warm, drizzled with ghee.
• If you are vegan avoid the ghee, the modak tastes great without ghee too!

Storage:

• The steamed modak is perishable and the shelf life is 1 day.
• The fried ones have a shelf life of say 2-3 days.
• Like all food, Man has developed modern versions of modak. These are chocolate modak, mawa modak, Kesri modak, moonga dal modak, moti chur modak dry fruit modak to name a few. The modern modak has a shelf life of about a week. So when gifting use one of these.

Watch the video too...