Ukadiche Modak Recipe: Authentic Steamed Modak for Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is a very popular festival in Maharashtra. It is one festival I have grown up celebrating. I can never forget those days when, as kids, we would spend the whole night decorating and preparing for the festival. We would eagerly wait for this day and never wanted to leave Bappa.

It is a 10-day festival, and each day we prepare a different feast for Prasad, Naivedya, or Bhog. Modak is Lord Bappa’s favorite sweet. It is generally prepared on the first and last day of the festival.

Here’s the authentic recipe for Ukadiche Modak.

Special Ukadiche Modak Recipe

Ingredients

For the Outer Cover

Rice flour – 2 bowls
Salt – 1 pinch
Water – 2 big bowls
Ghee – 3 tbsp

For the Stuffing

Grated coconut – 2 big bowls
Jaggery – 1½ bowls
Cardamom powder – 1 tbsp
Crushed cashew nuts – 1 tbsp
Crushed almonds – 1 tbsp

Procedure

For the Outer Cover

1. Mix the rice flour and salt, and sieve it twice.
2. Boil 1 bowl of water in a large pot. Add the sieved rice flour and 1 tbsp of ghee.
3. Mix well, making sure there are no lumps. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.

For the Stuffing

1. Take the grated coconut and jaggery in a bowl and mix well.
2. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the mixture.
3. Stir continuously. The jaggery will start melting within a few minutes.
4. Add the cardamom powder and crushed nuts, and mix well. The mixture will become sticky in about 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool.

Making the Modak

1. Take the steamed rice mixture and knead it carefully with wet hands, adding a little ghee. Knead until you have a soft dough.
2. Make small, equal-sized balls from the dough.
3. Roll each ball lightly into a small bowl-like shape.
4. Place about 1 tbsp of the stuffing into each rolled-out dough ball.
5. Start gathering the pleats together toward the center and seal the edges properly.

Steaming the Modak

1. Steam the modaks in a pressure cooker without the whistle, or use an idli stand.
2. Add about 1 inch of water to the cooker and place a small round pot inside.
3. Place a steel strainer over the small pot and line it with a clean white cotton cloth.
4. Place the modaks on the cloth, leaving a little space between each one.
5. Cover the modaks with another cotton cloth.
6. Cover the cooker and steam the modaks for about 10 minutes.
7. Dip each modak in water before steaming. This helps prevent the modaks from cracking.

Pour some pure ghee over the hot modaks and serve!

Enjoy these delicious, traditional Ukadiche Modaks and celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with lots of love and devotion.

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