Ukadiche modak are steamed rice flour dumplings with sweet coconut jaggery filling inside. These traditional sweets are made during Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in India. Sharing how to make these with and without mold.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are in a week and this festival is incomplete without Modak, Lord Ganesha's favorite food.
Aaji (grandmom) and mom make Ukadiche modak as prasad on the first day of Vinayak Chaturthi. That sweet aroma would fill the house and smell absolutely divine.
Visiting relatives and friends to worship Ganpati Bappa, eating a variety of modak, peda, and delicious Maharashtrian food is what sums up this festival for me.
I miss the festive feels and experience but I definitely make up with some modak and yummy food on this auspicious occasion!!
What is Modak
Modak is a popular Maharashtrian sweet made during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi Festival as an offering to Lord Ganesha and considered to be his favorite food.
There are two types of Modak, fried and steamed kind. Fried ones are also known as talniche modak and steamed modak as Ukadiche modak in the Marathi language.
In both varieties, they are stuffed with a sweet filling made of coconut, jaggery, and cardamom.
Steamed modak are made with a covering of rice flour while fried ones with wheat or all-purpose flour.
In this post, I'm sharing the Ukdiche modak recipe. You can also try the fried modak recipe.
Steamed modak are
- Lord Ganesha's favorite food
- extremely delicious
- made with rice flour
- soft and doughy on the outside
- sweet and coconutty on the inside
Ukadiche Modak are steamed (sweet) dumplings where ukadiche means "steamed" or "that are steamed" and modak is the name for dumpling of this patented shape. We also call steamed rice flour as ukad.
Making Modak can be a bit intimidating considering it needs practice. But not anymore!! Here is a detailed guide on how to make Ukadiche modak with all tips, tricks, and a video. Hope you find this helpful!
Ingredients
- For the Filling - Coconut (fresh or frozen or desiccated), jaggery, cardamom powder, cashews, and saffron (optional).
- For the Cover - Rice flour, salt, ghee and water.
Step by Step Instructions
To make the filling
1 - Heat a pan on medium flame & dry roast the coconut for 5 mins to dry out the moisture if any. I've used frozen, thawed coconut. Fresh coconut can be used too.
2 & 3 - Add the grated jaggery, mix till it's melted and well combined. Stir in the cardamom powder, saffron and cashew pieces (optional).
4 - Keep stirring continuously (approximately 2 mins) until the mixture is almost dry. Turn off the heat and keep aside. Don't overcook the jaggery coconut filling else it will turn hard.
Allow this coconut jaggery mixture (also known as saran) to cool completely before filling.
To make the covering
1 to 3 - Add salt and 1 tsp ghee to water and bring it to a boil. Stir in the rice flour and mix well. The mixture should be soft and crumbly. Switch off the heat and cover and let this mixture sit covered for 5 mins.
4 - Transfer the rice flour mixture to a plate and allow it to cool a bit enough to handle but still warm.
5 - Knead the dough for 5 mins using 2-3 tbsp water (or as needed) and 1 tsp ghee into a smooth soft dough. Shouldn’t be cracked or crumbly. Keep covered at all times with a wet cloth to prevent it from drying.
6 to 7 - Divide dough and filling equal portions.
8 - You can either make modak freehand or using molds. There are two types of mold available aluminum ones and plastic ones. I prefer to use the aluminum ones for steamed modak and plastic for modak peda.
To make modak using a mold
9 - Grease your plate or steamer basket. Open the molds and apply ghee to the inside of the mold. Place one ball and close the mold.
10 - From the open side, start pressing and spreading the dough using fingers as thin as possibly can but not too thin. The excess dough will come out of the mold, either cut it or leave it there. It can be used to close the modak.
11 and 12 - Place a portion of the filling in the hollow and use the excess covering to close the modak. Remove any excess dough that you see on the joints of the mold.
13 to 16 - Open the mold and take the modak out gently. Place it on a greased steamer basket. Add 1-2 threads of saffron on top of each modak (optional step)
Continue making the remaining modak in a similar manner. Ensure to grease your mold before every modak.
To make modak free hand
Take one ball and starting in the center start flattening and spreading it in disc or bowl as thin as you can without breaking it.
Place the filling in it and then make pleats. Bring all edges together and then join them. Remove the extra covering and shape the top to a point (peak). Place in the greased steamer basket.
Check out the video to make modak
Steaming modak
You can steam the modak in a pressure cooker or in Instant pot or on the stovetop. Steam in multiple batches depending on how many modak the steamer basket can hold. Do not overcrowd. I did 7-8 at a time.
Place 2 cups of water in the pot and bring it to a boil. Place the steamer basket with modak inside. Close and cook covered for 10-12 mins.
Turn off the heat, allow to cool for 5 mins in pot itself. Take the basket out and cool for another 5 mins. Then transfer to a plate. Drizzle with some ghee and enjoy!!.
Please see recipe card below for detailed instructions on steaming using pressure cooker, Instant pot or on the stovetop.
Ukadiche Modak are ready!! Drizzle some ghee and serve warm!!
Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
- For the dough
- Use a fine variety of rice flour. Ensure its fresh with no lingering old smell to it.
- Use a 1:1 ratio of water to flour while steaming the flour.
- Knead the dough well (most important step) with a couple of tablespoons of water to make it soft and smooth.
- The amount of water required for kneading varies based on the rice flour variety.
- The cracked dough is an indication of less water. Dry dough will make shaping difficult and usually, modak turns out dense and chewy after steaming.
- Keep the dough covered with a moist paper towel at all times to prevent it from drying.
- For shaping modak freehand, flatten the dough just enough that it doesn't tear.
- I prefer my outer layer to be thin but you can adjust it to your liking.
- Thick covering takes more time to cook and doesn't taste well.
- For the filling
- Fresh, frozen, or desiccated coconut can be used for filling.
- If using desiccated coconut add 1-2 tablespoon of water to bring in the moisture.
- Don't overcook the jaggery coconut filling else it will turn hard. If it does, just add a couple of tablespoons of water reheat until soft.
- Depending on the color of jaggery, the color of saran (filling) will vary. Dark jaggery will result in dark saran.
- Adding some nuts to the filling is optional but highly recommend as it adds to the crunch.
- For the modak
- Use modak molds, they make the shaping process really easy compared to freehand.
- Grease your molds to avoid the flour from sticking to molds and breaking.
- Mom's tip: dip the modak in water prior to steaming for those soft melt in mouth modak.
Frequently asked questions
Modak can be stored covered at room temperature for a day and refrigerated for up to 2-3 days. To reheat, steam for 2-3 mins (best results) or microwave for a few seconds (may turn chewy).
Yes, the filling can be made using desiccated coconut. Just add a tablespoon or two water to bring in some moisture. Cooking time and taste may vary slightly.
Overcooking the filling will make it hard. Cook it just till the mixture is dry with still a little moisture left to prevent it from turning hard.
Recipes for Ganesh Chaturthi
Hope you enjoy this Ukadiche Modak Recipe!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ in the recipe card. Thank you ❤️ ! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Ukadiche Modak
Equipment
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 cup grated coconut am using frozen, fresh or desiccated can be used too.
- 1 cup grated jaggery gur or 1/2-3/4 cup of sugar, adjust to taste
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- pinch saffron optional
- 10-12 cashews coarsely chopped, optional
For the covering:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup rice flour
- 2 tsp ghee + more for greasing
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
To make the filling:
- Heat a pan on medium flame & dry roast the coconut for 5 mins to dry out the moisture if any. I've used frozen, thawed coconut. Fresh coconut can be used too.
- Add the grated jaggery, mix till it's melted and well combined. Stir in the cardamom powder, saffron and cashew pieces (optional).
- Keep stirring continuously (approximately 2 mins) until the mixture is almost dry. Turn off the heat and keep aside. Don't overcook the jaggery coconut filling else it will turn hard.
- Allow this coconut jaggery mixture (also known as saran) to cool completely before filling.
To make the covering:
- Add salt and 1 tsp ghee to water and bring it to a boil. Stir in the rice flour and mix well. The mixture should be soft and crumbly. Switch off the heat and cover and let this mixture sit covered for 5 mins.
- Transfer the rice flour mixture to a plate and allow it to cool a bit enough to handle but still warm.
- Knead the dough for 5 mins using 2-3 tbsp water (or as needed) and 1 tsp ghee into a smooth soft dough. Dough shouldn’t be cracked or crumbly. Keep covered at all times with a wet cloth to prevent it from drying.
- Divide dough and filling equal portions.
- You can either make modak freehand or using molds. There are two types of mold available aluminum ones and plastic ones. I've used the aluminium ones.
To make modak using mold:
- Grease your plate or steamer basket.
- Open the molds and apply ghee to the inside of the mold. Place one ball and close the mold.
- From the open side, start pressing and spreading the dough using fingers as thin as possibly can but not too thin. The excess dough will come out of the mold, either cut it or leave it there. It can be used to close the modak.
- Place a portion of the filling in the hollow and use the excess covering to close the modak. Remove any excess dough that you see on the joints of the mold.
- Open the modak mold place them in the steamer basket.
- Slowly open the mold and remove the modak gently. Place it on a greased steamer basket.
- Optional Step : Add 1-2 threads of saffron on top of each modak (optional step)
- Continue making the remaining modak in a similar manner. Ensure to grease your mold before every modak.
To make modak freehand (without mold):
- Take one ball and starting in the center start flattening and spreading it in disc or bowl as thin as you can without breaking it.
- Place the filling in it and make pleats. Bring all edges together and then join them. Remove the extra covering and shape the top to a point (peak). Place in the greased steamer basket.
- You can steam the modak in a pressure cooker or in Instant pot or on the stovetop. Steam in multiple batches depending on how many modak the steamer basket can hold. Do not overcrowd. I did 7-8 at a time.
Steaming Ukadiche Modak in Instant Pot
- Add 2 cups of water to instant pot insert. Start saute mode and bring it to a boil. Place the steamer basket with modak on trivet. Cancel saute mode.
- Close instant pot lid with the vent in venting posting. Steam (press steam) modak for 10 mins. Start an external timer as the Instant pot timer won’t work.
- Allow the pin to drop naturally and open the lid after 5 mins. Allow to stay for 5 mins and then transfer to a plate.
Steaming Ukadiche Modak on the stove top
- Place 2 cups of water in the pot and bring it to a boil. Place the steamer basket with modak inside. Close and steam on medium heat covered for 10-12 mins.
- Turn off the heat, allow to cool for 5 mins in pot itself. Take the basket out and cool for another 5 mins. Then transfer to a plate.
Steaming Ukadiche Modak in a pressure cooker
- Add 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker. Bring it to a boil on medium high heat. Place the steamer basket with modak on the trivet.
- Close the pressure cooker lid without the weight. Steam modak for 10-15 mins. Start an external timer.
- Let the steam (whistle sound) go away naturally and open the lid after 5 mins. Allow to stay for 5 mins and then transfer to a plate.
- Delicious Ukadiche (steamed) Modak are ready!! Drizzle with some ghee and enjoy!!.
Notes
- For the dough
- Use a fine variety of rice flour. Ensure its fresh with no lingering old smell to it.
- The cracked dough is an indication of less water. Dry dough will make shaping difficult and usually, modak turns out dense and chewy after steaming.
- I prefer my outer layer to be thin but you can adjust it to your liking. Thick covering takes more time to cook and doesn't taste well.
- For the filling
- If using desiccated coconut add 1-2 tablespoon of water to bring in the moisture.
- Don't overcook the jaggery coconut filling else it will turn hard. If it does, just add a couple of tablespoons of water reheat until soft.
- Depending on the color of jaggery, the color of saran (filling) will vary. Dark jaggery will result in dark saran.
- For the modak
- Take your time to assemble the modak. Rushing might cause to break them.
- Use modak molds, they make the shaping process really easy compared to freehand.
- Mom's tip: dip the modak in water prior to steaming for those soft melt in mouth modak.
Thanks for the recipe. Can I shape modals and steam just before serving or should these be steamed right away after filling and shaping?
yes, just make sure they remain moist and soft by covering with wet cloth otherwise they will dry out. My preference is to shape and steam them right away for best results.