Traditional Modak

Preparation:20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings: Makes 10 to 12 modaks

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour (chawal ka atta)
1 cup jaggery (gur)
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup crushed dry fruits
salt to taste
ghee as required

Method

Melt the ghee and keep aside.Heat a pan on medium heat, add jaggery and a splash of water.Allow the jaggery to melt, add grated coconut and cardamom powder.Allow the coconut jaggery mixture to cook for few more minutes till the mixture feels sticky to the fingers.Transfer the mixture into a bowl and let it cool completely.Mix dry fruits to the above mixture. Sieve the rice flour and keep aside.Bring to boil a cup of water, add salt, a drop of ghee and rice flour.Remove from heat and mix well with a spatula.Allow the rice flour dough to cool a bit.Knead the rice flour dough into smooth soft but non sticky dough.Take a lemon sized portion of the rice flour dough and flatten it.Flatten the edges a little more than the middle part.Place the disk on palm of the hand and bring the fingers together to form the disk into a cup.Make pleats more defined and fill the cup with coconut jaggery mixture.Use ghee to grease the fingers if the rice flour tends to stick to them.Bring the top part of cup together carefully and seal it.Repeat the same with remaining rice flour dough.Steam the prepared modak for 8 – 10 minutes depending on the size of the modak.Modak looks shiny and little more transparent when cooked.Let the modak cool a bit before serving with ghee.Handy Tip: if the rice flour sticks to the fingers, cook it for few more seconds to let evaporate the moisture a bit.