How to prepare rice flour for modak covering: Step by step instructions

• Wash 1 1/2 cup rice and drain immediately.
• Spread the rice on a thick absorbent cloth and let dry completely in shade.
• Grind this rice to a fine powder in your mixer or give it to the flour mill (if you have one in your area) to get it ground.
• This rice flour is used to make the covering for modak.

Prepare covering dough for Modak with rice flour Step by step instructions

How to make modak covering with rice flour

Ingredients for modak covering:

• Rice flour (prepared as above) – 1 cup
• Water – 1 1/2 cups
• Oil or ghee – 1 tsp
• Salt – a pinch

Make/cook modak covering with rice flour: Instructions

• Heat water in a deep pan.
• Add salt and a teaspoon of vegetable oil or ghee to water.
• When water starts boiling, reduce flame and add rice flour. Stir to mix.
• Cover and cook for 2 minutes on very low flame. Switch the stove off.
• Keep the pan covered for about 10 minutes. Let cool a little.
• The mixture would have become thick. Dip your fingers in oil and knead the dough till it is smooth. (using a little oil if necessary).
• Keep covered with a moist cloth.
• Your modak covering is ready. Now let us make the coconut filling for modak.

How to make modak filling/stuffing with coconut and jaggery

Ingredients for modak filling:

• Freshly scraped/grated coconut – 2 cups
• Jaggery (gud – brown sugar)grated or powdered – 3/4 cup or more according to taste
• Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
• Rice flour(if needed) – 1 tsp

Cook coconut filling for modak :

• Heat a thick bottomed pan. Add scraped fresh coconut and jaggery and Mix well.
• Keep stirring and cooking till jaggery melts.
• Cook for about 4-5 minutes. But do not let the mixture go dry.
• The mixture is still watery after 4-5 minutes of cooking, add 1 tsp rice flour and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Cook for another minute. The mixture will thicken a little when it cools.
• Remove from fire and cool completely.
• Your modak filling ready.

How to fill and shape modak – the final steps:

• Divide the covering in lime sized balls.
• Smoothen each ball using your palms.
• Flatten it into a disc using your fingers. The sides should be thinner than the center.
• Take a spoonful of coconut filling and put in the center of the flattened dough circle.
• Fold the edges in 4-6 pleats and bring them together to close the modak, giving it a bundle shape.
• Make other modaks in the similar way. Handle the modak carefully as they may tend to break.

How to steam modak - Step by step instructions

• Heat water in your steamer / steaming pot. You may use the idli maker too for steaming modak.
• Place 4-5 filled modak in it and steam for about 8-10 minutes.
• Remove carefully with a wide spoon as the covering may tear with rough handling.
• Put on a plate and let cool.
• Make all the modaks and steam them in batches.
• Serve ukdiche modak hot with a little ghee.
• These steamed modak taste good even when cold. You can keep them in the fridge for 2 days in airtight container.

Tips and variations

• Plain sugar may be used instead of gud(jaggery)
• Handle the modaks carefully when hot. They are delicate.
• The color of the outer covering will depend on the quality and color of the rice.The color of the coconut stuffing will depend on the quality and color of the jaggery or sugar used.
• If you don’t have a steamer, you may use a pressure cooker bottom vessel or any large vessel. Do not use the pressure cooker weight.
• You may use the lid or use a plat to cover. Add water at the bottom of the vessel. Put a trivet and then a perforated flat plate pan on it.
• You may put a thin cloth at the bottom of the perforated plate or a piece of banana leaf also may be used.
• Put the filled modak on the cloth or the banana leaf. The cloth or the banana leaf prevents the modak sticking to the perforated plate.
• If you don’t have a banana leaf or a thin cloth, you may put a few drops of oil on the plate and place modak on it. This will also prevent modaks from sticking to the steamer plate