" Modak "

" Modak "
  By Chef Prashant Adsule.

The sweet filling inside a modak is made up of fresh grated coconut and jaggery, while the soft shell is made from rice flour, or wheat flour mixed with khava or maida flour. The dumpling can be fried or steamed. The steamed version, called ukdiche modak, is eaten hot with ghee.
Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu god Ganesh; modak is believed to be his favorite food, which begets him the monicker modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit. During the Ganesh worship ceremony, known in India as Ganesh Chaturthi the puja always concludes with an offering of modaks to the deity and as prasad.

Serves : 8-10
Preparation Time : 90 mins

Ingredients :- For Stuffing:

250 gms coconut (grated)
250 gms jaggery (gud)
1½ tablespoon sesame (til)
1 tablespoon ghee
10 cashew nuts (kaju), crushed
15 raisins (kishmish), yellow variety

For Modak base:

400 gms maida or all purpose flour
2 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

Method :-

1. Make soft dough of the flour (maida) by adding oil and salt.
2. Heat ghee in a vessel, add jaggery, coconut, and sesame seeds. Keep stirring continuously on medium flame. The jaggery dissolves and a sticky solution is formed. Leave it to cool thoroughly.
3. Make small balls of dough and roll it; let the diameter be 3-4 inches approximately.
4. Start stuffing the above ingredients and pack it by taking all the corners up, thus giving it a shape like a cone on top. This is a modak.
5. Dip these in water and place on a light muslin cloth (this keeps the modaks soft).

Steaming the modaks:
1. Boil water in a large vessel and place the modaks in a plate (like ?idli? plates or in a steamer) and steam but see to it that they do not get pressed. 
2. Serve with ghee, spread on the modak.
3. Serve hot or cold, both ways it tastes good.