Modak Recipe

Modak is one of Ganesha’s favorite sweets and is popularly made for Ganesh Chaturthi. Modak is a sweet dumpling offered for Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. Learn to make Modak with mold and without mold along with step by step pictures and video for easy understanding.

Modak is Lord Ganesha’s favorite sweet and is one of the popular Ganesh Chaturthi special dishes that everyone makes especially in Indian homes. Some even make modak for Sankasthi chaturthi pooja.

Jump to:

• About Modak
• Modak Video
• Modak Ingredients
• How to make Modak Step by Step
• Making modak without mold
• Making modak with mold
• Expert Tips
• Serving & Storage
• FAQS
• 📖 Recipe Card

About Modak

Modak is a sweet dumpling dish popular in India offered as prasad or neiveidyam for Lord Ganesha. According to Hindu belief it is Lord Ganesha’s favorite dish. Lord Ganesha loves modak so Ganesh Chaturthi is incomplete without it and that is the reason why Ganeshs is fondly called as modakapriya.

Modak is a Maharashtrian special sweet made using rice flour, coconut, jaggery, ghee and cardamom powder as main ingredients. Modak is made by steaming rice flour dough stuffed with a filling of jaggery and coconut. It can be shaped with mold or without mold.

Handmade modaks are easy to make once you know the knack of making it. Firstly we make the filling, secondly the rice flour dough, thirdly they are shaped and finally steamed.

Modak Video

Similar Recipes

• Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes
• Ukadiche Modak
• Kozhukattai

Modak Ingredients

• Rice flour – Traditionally homemade rice flour is used to make modak. However you can use instant ready made rice flour too.
• Salt – Salt is added while making the dough.
• Coconut –Fresh grated coconut is recommended for this recipe. If you have coconut pieces then pulse it in mixer to make it shredded. We can use desiccated coconut as well when fresh coconut is not available.
• Jaggery – Use clean organic jaggery as we are adding it as such.
• Cardamom powder – Cardamom powder is added for flavor.
• Ghee – Ghee is used to grease and flavor.

Modak Stuffing

The filling can be made in different varieties using coconut jaggery, sesame jaggery, peanut jaggery, chana dal jaggery, fried gram dal powder jaggery, moong dal jaggery etc.

The filling varies depending on the custom in each household. Here I have shared the classic version of stuffing which is coconut with jaggery. We call this stuffing thengai pooranam in tamil.

Modak is unique to festivals and also has many varieties – sweet, savor, spicy, plain, fried.  A collection of these variations are posted for Ganesh Chaturthi!

Modak making involves 3 main steps :

• Dough – The main important step in getting the modak perfectly is to get the rice flour dough in the correct consistency. If the dough is dry it will start to break while shaping. If the dough is loose it will not hold its shape. The proportion of rice flour is to water is very important and also the method.
• Sweet filling – Jaggery along with coconut should be cooked right. If you cook more the stuffing will become hard and more like a candy. If it is loose and watery then the stuffing will ooze out while shaping. So make sure to make the inner stuffing just right so that its juicy at the same time thick enough to stay intact.
• Shaping – Once you get the dough right shaping is very easy. Make sure to make a slightly thin outer covering not too thin as it may tear easily.

Making modak is an art. Just like how we draw in our drawing class at school, we will have our own versions of drawing which we admire & feel appreciative of even though it may not match that of the model exactly.

I bet we will get this feeling with Modak as well. Use quantity, time and method just as prescribed to get the perfect tasty Modaks. And don’t worry even if it gets screwed up midway – Refer my FAQS to troubleshoot it.

Modak Recipes

Modak is made using rice flour for outer covering shell and for the inner filling traditionally freshly grated coconut and jaggery are used. But now there are many variations and alternates to the traditional modak recipe and here are some. I have given modak recipes with mold and withot the mold.

The South Indian version of modak is called Kozhukattai or Modakam which is very popular in Southern States especially in Tamil Nadu.

Types of Modak

There are 2 different types of modak :

• Steamed – a healthy version of modak which tastes delicious with different sweet fillings inside. The steamed version popularly called as  ukadiche modak. You can steam it in Instant pot also.
• Fried Modak – It is nothing but a fried version of modak. It is simpler and easier compared to the steamed version.

Molds for Modak

Many shops begin to sell modak molds few weeks before Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Nowadays it is readily available online too. But you can make modak with or without mold. I have shared both the recipes in the recipe card.

I have 2 types of mold one is aluminium and other is plastic. Both are easy to shape.

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How to make Modak Step by Step

Modak sweet filling

1.Heat 1/2 teaspoon ghee in a pan.

2.Add 1 cup grated coconut and 1/2 cup jaggery to it. Make sure to add good quality jaggery free from impurities.

3.Mix well and keep cooking until jaggery starts to dissolve.It will be slightly goey at this stage.

4.Cook until its thick still juicy. Do not overcook as it might turn hard and chewy.

5.Add 1/2 teaspoon ghee, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder to it.

6.Mix well and switch off. Let it cool down a bit.

Modak dough

7.To a mixing bowl add 1/2 cup rice flour.

8.Add salt to taste and 1/2 teaspoon gingelly oil or ghee to it.

9.Mix this well first.

10.Boil around 3/4 cup water.

11.Add water little by little.

12.Keep mixing using a spatula.

13.Keep adding and mixing.

14.Keep stirring adding water little by little.

15.Gather to form a mass.

16.Once it gathers to form a dough close and keep aside for 5 minutes.

17.Once it is warm enough to handle with hand, open give a quick mix.

18.Mix well with fingers to form a soft dough.

19.Keep covered until use to avoid drying up. Modak dough ready.

Making modak without mold

20.Pinch a lemon sized dough flatten it slightly then make it thin on all sides. Add the coconut jaggery filling on it.

21.Pull the edges and bring it to the center and seal it.

22.Shape it like a modak. Remove extra portion of the dough on top if any.

Making modak with mold

20.Get all your ingredients ready.

21.Grease your mould with oil or ghee.

22.Fill it with a pinch of small lemon sized dough.

23.Using your finger make space for the filling as shown.

24.Make sure the sides of the modak are slightly thin.

25.Add coconut jaggery filling inside the space, may be a spoonful.

26.Seal using the side dough first.

27.Now pinch a small portion of dough flatten it and seal the base like shown below.

28.Gently open.

29.Modak is shaped and ready. Repeat to finish.

30.Add enough water say 2 cups to the steamer pot. Let it start to boil. Grease the steamer plate. Arrange the modak on it.

31.Cover with lid.

21.Steam cook in low medium flame for 5-8 minutes or until the outer covering turns shiny.If the modaK are big in size it may take up to 10 minutes. Do not overcook as the modak will turn hard.

22.Steaming hot modak’s are ready.

Tasty soft modak’s are ready to offer to Lord Ganesha and relish.

Expert Tips

• Make thin outer layer so that the modak is soft and gets cooked easily.
• You can even make jaggery syrup and add it but make sure to add very less water. If you are making jaggery syrup strain and use it.
• The coconut filling should be thick in consistency else you will have a tough time wrapping them inside.
• You can make modak with mold or without mold.
• Add 2 tbsp fried gram dal powder if the filling becomes watery.
• You can replace jaggery with cane sugar or brown sugar too.

Serving & Storage

You can serve modak as such, tastes best when hot or warm. However tastes good even after it cools down. Make it as a brunch – after pooja – with no breakfast or lunch menu additionally. Just modak and you.

Consume on the same day of making as the recipes contain coconut. If we are gonna reserve some of it for friends / relatives for the next day, we can refrigerate and then steam it lightly / heat with microwave before serving.

FAQS

1. What should I do when my dough becomes dry?

Sprinkle little hot water, knead it once again and make the dough soft and moist. Do not use dry / hard dough as it will crack the modak or pop out the filling while steaming and also gives hard texture.

2. I have excess rice flour dough and less filling?

Hope you had not missed any of the quantity prescribed in the recipe or you would have made very thick outer shell / dough which would have lead you to this problem. If you do not have time to make more filling, just make the dough in small balls and steam it with the other ones. Though it will lack sweetness, it will be still good if you like it plain. Refer to Ammini Kozhukattai for making it little spicy!

3. I do not have mold what should I do?

Well, unless you are particular about the shape, we can make it with hand. I have given method to make modak with and without mold, hope you find it useful.

4. Is Kozhukkattai and Modak the same?

Yes – more or less. Kozhukattai is the South Indian version of Modak. Variations in name come from the different region – modak (मोदक) in Marathi, Konkani and Gujarati; modhaka in Kannada; modhakam or kozhakkattai in Tamil and Malayalam; and kudumu or “madhaka” in Telugu.

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📖 Recipe Card