Ukadiche Modak Maharashtrian

Ukadiche Modak in Marathi

Serve: 15 to 18 medium Modak
Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
1 big coconut
grated coconut
2 cups Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp Oil or Ghee

Method:
1) To make filling, scrape coconut. Fill the measurement of 1 cup with scraped coconut. If you get 2 cups of coconut, you will need 1 cup of Jaggery. Cook the coconut and jaggery together into a pan over medium-low heat. Add cardamom powder and mix. Stir occassionally to avoid burning. Once mixture is thick, turn the heat off.
2) To make cover, boil 2 cups of water, add pinch of salt and 1 tbsp oil. Once waer starts boiling, turn the heat to low and add 2 cups of flour and stir vigorously. Cover and let the steam trap inside to cook the dough. after 2 minutes remove it from the heat.
3) Put the dough over a flat surface. Knead it when its warm (Note 1). Wet your hand with warm water and knead to a soft pliable dough. Use little oil if needed.
4) Make 2 inch balls of the dough. Keep the remaining dough covered. Roll the dough into nice thin disc or spread evenly with your hands and make a bowl. Hold it in your left hand, put 1 tbsp coconut mixture in the center Pinch 5 to 7 times on the edges by keeping equal distance. Pull them together and join to form a peak. It will look like whole garlic bulb.
5) Prepare all the modak and steam cook into a steamer or special modak steamer for 12 to 15 minutes.
If you have excess Rice flour dough remained, add paste of green chili, salt, cumin, turmeric. Also add chopped cilantro. knead nicely. Make 1 inch ball and make it flat to thick patties. Steam them with Modaks.
Offer the modaks with Desi ghee to Ganpati bappa and serve them as sweets at lunch.

Note:
1) If the dough becomes cold before kneading, it won't form a pliable dough.
2) Add some chopped cashewnuts-almonds to Coconut mixture.