Degchi
Steamed rice-flour dumplings shaped into a crown, filled with a sweet coconut-and-jaggery filling. Lord Ganesha's favourite sweet, made in every Maharashtrian home during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Quick answer: 60 min in total · serves 6 · main ingredients: Rice, Grated coconut, Jaggery, Cardamom · amounts in metric and US
Ingredients
- 200 g 7 oz Rice, fine rice flour
- 200 g 7 oz Grated coconut, grated
- 150 g 5.3 oz Jaggery, grated
- 0.5 tsp 0.5 tsp Cardamom, ground
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp Clarified butter
- 1 pinch 1 pinch Salt (Optional)
Steps
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- Cook grated coconut and jaggery together on low heat until it thickens into a sticky filling, about 8 minutes.⏱ Cooking filling · 8 min
- Stir in ground cardamom and let the filling cool completely.
- Boil water with ghee and a pinch of salt; add rice flour and stir quickly into a dough.
- Cover and let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead while warm until smooth and pliable.⏱ Resting dough · 5 min
- Flatten small balls of dough into cups, fill with the coconut-jaggery mixture, and pleat the edges upward into a crown shape.
- Steam the shaped modaks for 10 minutes until the dough turns slightly translucent.⏱ Steaming modak · 10 min
- Serve warm, drizzled with a little melted ghee.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does Modak take?
60 minutes in total: about 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking.
Is Modak hard to make?
Degchi rates it medium. The method has 7 steps, and 3 of them have a timer you can start on this page.
How many people does Modak serve?
This recipe serves 6. Use the toggle above the ingredient list to see the amounts in metric or US measures. For more or fewer portions, scale every amount in the same proportion, or use the servings control in the Degchi app.
Is Modak halal, vegetarian or eggless?
It is marked halal in our recipe data. It is vegetarian. It has no egg. It has no beef. Check the labels on any packaged ingredients for your own needs.
What will I probably need to buy for Modak?
Spice-box items: cardamom. Fresh items you will probably need to buy: clarified butter. Lentils, grains and other dry goods: rice, grated coconut, jaggery.
Any tips for making Modak?
Knead the rice flour dough while it's still hot — it turns crumbly and hard to shape once it cools down.
Notes and questions
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This recipe in other languages
Cooking terms in this recipe: Jaggery
