Thursday, September 15, 2016

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Modak

Modak(Fried)
Modak- Ganpati Bappa’s favourite Naivedya-Prasaad. Modaks are universally liked by Lord Ganesha and his worshippers. It is a traditional delicacy which is essentially prepared on Ganesh Chaturthi day as offering to the Lord. Modaks are made in various ways- they may be steamed or fried, the cover varies as per the style of cooking. The filling also varies as per the cooking method. The common ingredient is of course fresh coconut.
In the fried modaks, wheat semolina or refined flour is used for the outer covering and in the steamed modaks, rice flour is used for the outer covering. The filling of the steamed modaks is generally made of jaggery and fresh coconut, whilst the filling of fried modaks is made of sugar and fresh coconut.
Nowadays you get a variety of modaks with different kinds of fillings- dry fruits, gulkand etc.

Ingredients
For the Filling
Fresh Coconut - 1 whole, grated
Sugar - 1¼ cup
Khoya/ Mawa - 125 gms
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Cardamom Powder - ½ teaspoon
Poppy Seeds - 1 tablespoon
For the outer Covering
Fine Semolina/Suji - 1 cup
Refined flour/ Maida - ½ cup
Milk - Approx ½ cup
Salt - ¼ teaspoon
Ghee - 1 teaspoon

Oil - Approx 200-250 ml for frying


Method
Roast poppy seeds lightly and grind into a coarse powder and set aside. Heat a pan and roast the grated coconut lightly in the ghee, add sugar and allow to cook till the sugar solution reduces. Stir continuously. Add khoya and keep stirring as khoya gets burnt easily. The mixture should homogenize and leave the sides of the utensil. Add roasted poppy seed and cardamom powders and set aside to cool.
Mix semolina, refined flour, salt, ghee and milk to form stiff dough, cover and set aside for about half hour. Knead the dough for about 7-10 minutes before using. Make small balls and roll them into puris. Now place little filling on every puri and close from top by folding to form modak. 
Heat oil in a pan and fry the modaks on medium fire till the outer covering turns to a nice brown colour. Remove and allow to cool.



No comments: