Steamed Modak (Sweet)

These steamed modaks are made on Ganesh Chaturthi day along with salted modaks. My mom generally makes 108 sweet modaks. She wakes up early and prepares everything for me to make. Making modaks was usually my job every year and making the outer covering, the filling and steaming was her work. We love these modaks so much. I remember she used to make me go to the temple to show bhog and I used to run and come back home because I never wanted to give these to anyone as prasad. Those were such nostalgic memories etched in my heart and mind!

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

For the filling

• 1 cup Fresh grated coconut

• 3/4 cup Jaggery

• 1 tbsp Water

• 1 tsp Cardamom powder

Instructions

For the filling

1. Add the coconut and jaggery in a non stick pan and sprinkle 1 tbsp of water

2. Cook on slow flame till the jaggery starts melting while stirring continuously

3. Switch off the flame once all the water is dried up (do not make it very dry as jaggery mixture hardens a bit once it cools instead it should be a combined mixture)

4. Add cardamom powder, stir and keep aside to cool.

5. Make slightly big marble sized balls

To proceed

1. Apply oil to the tips of your fingers in both hands.

2. Take one ball of dough*, make a small depression in the centre and slowly shape into a cup turning the dough from the depression. It should resemble a small cup.

3. Place one ball of the filling and bring together the ends and shape it like a modak

4. Pinch off the excess dough if any

5. Line the idli cooker with a banana leaf

6. Place these modaks and steam them on sim flame till done

Notes

*You can find the recipe for the outer dough here