Paan, pumpkin and pineapple: Modak gets some zany flavours this year
Rahul Dev and Mugdha Godse get into the mood for modaks at Ganesh Chaturthi
While many devotees will be taking to online darshans and adapting to a more low-key celebration during the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi in the light of the pandemic, festive dishes will still be packing all the fun and fervour that accompanies them. The highlight of the celebration is the modak, the elephant-headed God’s favourite sweet. Says actress Mugdha Godse, " I love modaks — the coconut and jaggery varieties are my favourite. Since childhood, they have been a Ganpati treat for us as we used to get them only during these days. It is such a beautiful memory, like having received Bappa’s special prasad." While this festival is incomplete without the steamed ukadiche modak, there are some unconventional yet delicious varieties available for the adventurous kind — right from orange-pineapple, dark chocolate, pumpkin, tres leche (three milk) flavours to fusion ‘cake modaks’.
Paan Modak
Foodie Krati Ved shares the recipe
Ingredients
Coconut – 1.5 cup Sugar – ½ cup + milk
Milk powder – ¼ cup
Ghee – 1 tsp
Cardamom – optional
Betel leaves – 3
For Filling
Chopped nuts (as per taste)
Gulkand
Betel leaves
Cherries
Method
Roast ghee and coconut powder on low flame for five minutes. Blend milk, betel leaves and cardamom powder. After coconut powder is roasted, add the milk and betel mixture, the milk powder and sugar. Switch off the flame after some minutes and let it cool. For the filling, mix the ingredients and fill it into the modak mould. And your paan modak is ready to be served.
Spiced Pumpkin Pie Modak
A fusion of Indian and western flavours, this recipe is shared by foodie Purabi Naha
Ingredients for the filling
Boiled mashed pumpkin – 160 g
Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Cloves – 4
Nutmeg – a pinch
Cornflour – 1 tsp
Condensed milk – 5 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tsp
Ingredients for the covering
Rice flour – 1 cup
Water – 1.5 cups
Salt – ¼ tsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Method
Drain out the water from the boiled pumpkin. Blitz the pumpkin purée with cinnamon powder, ginger paste, cloves, nutmeg, cornflour and condensed milk until smooth. Heat ghee and sauté the purée mixture for three minutes on a slow flame. Switch it off and keep the filling aside.
For the covering, bring the water to a boil, add salt, rice flour and mix it well. Switch off the flame and cover for a few minutes. Spread the dough on a plate and knead with a spatula. When the dough is cold enough to touch, knead the dough while it is still warm. Take a small amount of it, add the filling inside and shape into modaks. Steam for 10
minutes and serve.
Orange and Pineapple Modaks
Recipe by food expert Renu Kulkarni
Ingredients
Milk powder – 1 cup
Milk – ½ cup
Melted ghee – 2 tsp
Desiccated coconut – ½ cup
Powdered sugar – ½ cup
A pinch of orange, yellow food colour
Pineapple and orange essence – ¼ tsp each
Melted ghee – 2 tsp
Modak mould
Method
Heat milk powder, milk and ghee on low flame, stirring constantly. When it becomes a lump in three minutes, cool and add desiccated coconut powder and sugar. Divide in two equal parts — add
yellow food colour and pineapple essence to one portion and mix. Add orange food colour and essence to the other portion and mix. Divide each dough in 15 equal parts. Grease the modak mould with ghee and fill the mix. Press with hands, demould and take out carefully. In this way, prepare all the modaks. Refrigerate for longer shelf life.
Modak Tres Leches Cake
Dessert maker Anu Bhalerao Kamble shows how to make it
Ingredients
Vanilla sponge cake (6-inch square)
Coconut filling
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Jaggery - ½ cup
Cardamom powder - 1tsp
Nutmeg powder - ¼ tsp
Method
Cook grated coconut and jaggery in a pan on medium flame till the jaggery is melted. Add cardamom and nutmeg powder. Prepare kesar elaichi milk to soak the cake layers as well as pour on top while serving the delicacy.
For garnish
Whipping cream – 1 Cup (Whip until stiff peaks)
Rose petals
Kesar strands
Gold leaf
Chopped Nuts (Optional)
Method
Assemble the cake tray. Cut the vanilla sponge cake horizontally into two equal portions. Lightly soak the first layer in kesar elaichi milk, spread whipped cream on it and add coconut filling on top. Put the remaining cake on top of it and drizzle with kesar elaichi milk. Pipe some whipped cream using an open star nozzle. Garnish with kesar strands, rose petals, gold leaf and chopped nuts. Chill for an hour and cut it into nine equal pieces. Serve each piece of cake with some kesar elaichi milk poured over it.
Cookie Modak
Home baker Reshma Pradhan presents her recipe
For the filling
Make the coconut filling just like the ones used for modaks
For the cookie
Ghee/butter - 4 tbsp
Jaggery - 6 tbsp jaggery powder
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Modak – ¼ cup modak flour (basmati rice flour)
Whole wheat flour – ½ cup
Milk - few tbsps, if needed
Salt – a pinch
Method
Whisk and cream the ghee and jaggery powder. Add cardamom powder, whisk them. Add the flours and salt and do a final whisk. Don't knead the mix, but gently fold it. The consistency should be like chapati dough. Add a little milk to make it pliable. Take a little dough and add coconut filling to the centre. Shake into a modak, place on a lined tray and bake at 180-degrees for 15 minutes or until they are browned a little.
Vermicelli Modak
Foodie Sasmita Sahoo shares a unique version of modak, made from vermicelli or seviyan.
Ingredients
Vermicelli / seviyan - 1 cup
Condensed milk - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Almonds - 2 tbsp
Pistachio - 2 tbsp
Cashew - 2 tbsp
Desiccated coconut - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp + extra for greasing
Method
Grease the modak moulds with ghee. Finely chop almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins. In a pan, dry roast the desiccated coconut till lightly browned and keep aside. Heat ½ tsp ghee in the same pan, add all the chopped dry fruits together and fry till lightly browned. Transfer all fried dry fruits to the large bowl, mix with coconut and keep aside to cool. Add 1 ½ tsp ghee to another pan and roast the vermicelli. Switch off the flame, add condensed milk and mix it well quickly. Take a modak mould and lock it gently. Put 1-2 tbsp of vermicelli mixture in it. Create a cavity in the centre, add 1 tsp of the dry fruit mixture and cover with a little vermicelli mixture on top. Press gently to have an even layer. Now open or unlock the mould. Remove. Do this for the rest of the modaks and store in an air-tight container.
Granola Modak
Diet expert Priya Bhrujal shares the recipe for her version of modaks...
Ingredients
Granola mix - 1 cup
Dates – ½ cup
Peanut butter – ½ cup
Chopped almonds – ½ cup
Chopped dry cranberries and blueberries – ½ cup
Walnuts – ½ cup
Method
Mix the ingredients well in a bowl. Make small balls of it and shape them in a modak mould. The modaks are ready.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ganesha is also called ‘ModakPriya’ because of his love for the sweet delight.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/paan-pumpkin-and-pineapple-modak-gets-some-zany-flavours-this-year/articleshow/77707412.cms
Paan Modak
Foodie Krati Ved shares the recipe
Ingredients
Coconut – 1.5 cup Sugar – ½ cup + milk
Milk powder – ¼ cup
Ghee – 1 tsp
Cardamom – optional
Betel leaves – 3
For Filling
Chopped nuts (as per taste)
Gulkand
Betel leaves
Cherries
Method
Roast ghee and coconut powder on low flame for five minutes. Blend milk, betel leaves and cardamom powder. After coconut powder is roasted, add the milk and betel mixture, the milk powder and sugar. Switch off the flame after some minutes and let it cool. For the filling, mix the ingredients and fill it into the modak mould. And your paan modak is ready to be served.
Spiced Pumpkin Pie Modak
A fusion of Indian and western flavours, this recipe is shared by foodie Purabi Naha
Ingredients for the filling
Boiled mashed pumpkin – 160 g
Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Cloves – 4
Nutmeg – a pinch
Cornflour – 1 tsp
Condensed milk – 5 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tsp
Ingredients for the covering
Rice flour – 1 cup
Water – 1.5 cups
Salt – ¼ tsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Method
Drain out the water from the boiled pumpkin. Blitz the pumpkin purée with cinnamon powder, ginger paste, cloves, nutmeg, cornflour and condensed milk until smooth. Heat ghee and sauté the purée mixture for three minutes on a slow flame. Switch it off and keep the filling aside.
For the covering, bring the water to a boil, add salt, rice flour and mix it well. Switch off the flame and cover for a few minutes. Spread the dough on a plate and knead with a spatula. When the dough is cold enough to touch, knead the dough while it is still warm. Take a small amount of it, add the filling inside and shape into modaks. Steam for 10
minutes and serve.
Orange and Pineapple Modaks
Recipe by food expert Renu Kulkarni
Ingredients
Milk powder – 1 cup
Milk – ½ cup
Melted ghee – 2 tsp
Desiccated coconut – ½ cup
Powdered sugar – ½ cup
A pinch of orange, yellow food colour
Pineapple and orange essence – ¼ tsp each
Melted ghee – 2 tsp
Modak mould
Method
Heat milk powder, milk and ghee on low flame, stirring constantly. When it becomes a lump in three minutes, cool and add desiccated coconut powder and sugar. Divide in two equal parts — add
yellow food colour and pineapple essence to one portion and mix. Add orange food colour and essence to the other portion and mix. Divide each dough in 15 equal parts. Grease the modak mould with ghee and fill the mix. Press with hands, demould and take out carefully. In this way, prepare all the modaks. Refrigerate for longer shelf life.
Modak Tres Leches Cake
Dessert maker Anu Bhalerao Kamble shows how to make it
Ingredients
Vanilla sponge cake (6-inch square)
Coconut filling
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Jaggery - ½ cup
Cardamom powder - 1tsp
Nutmeg powder - ¼ tsp
Method
Cook grated coconut and jaggery in a pan on medium flame till the jaggery is melted. Add cardamom and nutmeg powder. Prepare kesar elaichi milk to soak the cake layers as well as pour on top while serving the delicacy.
For garnish
Whipping cream – 1 Cup (Whip until stiff peaks)
Rose petals
Kesar strands
Gold leaf
Chopped Nuts (Optional)
Method
Assemble the cake tray. Cut the vanilla sponge cake horizontally into two equal portions. Lightly soak the first layer in kesar elaichi milk, spread whipped cream on it and add coconut filling on top. Put the remaining cake on top of it and drizzle with kesar elaichi milk. Pipe some whipped cream using an open star nozzle. Garnish with kesar strands, rose petals, gold leaf and chopped nuts. Chill for an hour and cut it into nine equal pieces. Serve each piece of cake with some kesar elaichi milk poured over it.
Cookie Modak
Home baker Reshma Pradhan presents her recipe
For the filling
Make the coconut filling just like the ones used for modaks
For the cookie
Ghee/butter - 4 tbsp
Jaggery - 6 tbsp jaggery powder
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Modak – ¼ cup modak flour (basmati rice flour)
Whole wheat flour – ½ cup
Milk - few tbsps, if needed
Salt – a pinch
Method
Whisk and cream the ghee and jaggery powder. Add cardamom powder, whisk them. Add the flours and salt and do a final whisk. Don't knead the mix, but gently fold it. The consistency should be like chapati dough. Add a little milk to make it pliable. Take a little dough and add coconut filling to the centre. Shake into a modak, place on a lined tray and bake at 180-degrees for 15 minutes or until they are browned a little.
Vermicelli Modak
Foodie Sasmita Sahoo shares a unique version of modak, made from vermicelli or seviyan.
Ingredients
Vermicelli / seviyan - 1 cup
Condensed milk - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Almonds - 2 tbsp
Pistachio - 2 tbsp
Cashew - 2 tbsp
Desiccated coconut - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp + extra for greasing
Method
Grease the modak moulds with ghee. Finely chop almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins. In a pan, dry roast the desiccated coconut till lightly browned and keep aside. Heat ½ tsp ghee in the same pan, add all the chopped dry fruits together and fry till lightly browned. Transfer all fried dry fruits to the large bowl, mix with coconut and keep aside to cool. Add 1 ½ tsp ghee to another pan and roast the vermicelli. Switch off the flame, add condensed milk and mix it well quickly. Take a modak mould and lock it gently. Put 1-2 tbsp of vermicelli mixture in it. Create a cavity in the centre, add 1 tsp of the dry fruit mixture and cover with a little vermicelli mixture on top. Press gently to have an even layer. Now open or unlock the mould. Remove. Do this for the rest of the modaks and store in an air-tight container.
Granola Modak
Diet expert Priya Bhrujal shares the recipe for her version of modaks...
Ingredients
Granola mix - 1 cup
Dates – ½ cup
Peanut butter – ½ cup
Chopped almonds – ½ cup
Chopped dry cranberries and blueberries – ½ cup
Walnuts – ½ cup
Method
Mix the ingredients well in a bowl. Make small balls of it and shape them in a modak mould. The modaks are ready.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ganesha is also called ‘ModakPriya’ because of his love for the sweet delight.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/paan-pumpkin-and-pineapple-modak-gets-some-zany-flavours-this-year/articleshow/77707412.cms
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