Modak Recipe - How to make Modak

Modak is a very popular Indian Sweet and more importantly considered as a indispensable offering for Lord Ganesha on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Lord Ganesha is called 'modaka priya', meaning He like modaks very much. By most Hindu devotees, the celebration of Ganesh Chathurthi (Vinayaka Chavithi) is considered incomplete with out offerign Modaks (Called as Undrallu in the South) to the Lord. So here is the recipe for preparing Modak.


Modak Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups Rice Flour
• 6 cups Water
• 6 tsp Oil
• 4 cups Grated Coconut
• 2 cups Sugar or Powdered Jaggery
• A little Milk

Method

• Bring the water to a boil and add oil into it for the outer covering. Take off heat.
• Now add the rice flour, little by little to avoid lumps and cover the mixture and let it cool.
• When cool, knead it well into dough with a smooth finish in such a way that it should sparkle.
• Now take the coconut and Jaggery / sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan for the stuffing. Add milk. Keep on low flame with stirring. Stir and take off heat.
• The mixture should be fairly dry and turn a shade darker. Now make balls with the (covering) dough.
• Flatten them on the palm or on a surface into a circle. Place the stuffing in it and cover it completely with the dough.
• Fold the edges tapering to the centre. Now steam-cook the modaks in a cooker for 15 minutes until done.

Chintapandu (Tamarind) Pulihora Recipe

Chintapandu (Tamarind) Pulihora (pulisaadam in Tamil) is a very popular dish in South India esp. Andhra Pradesh. This is dish is traditionally prepared during festivals and as an offering to Lord as Prasaadam. Here is the recipe for the preparation of the savory dish of Pulihora.


Ingredients:

* Rice - 150gms (3/4 Cup)
* Water - 300gms (1 1/2 Cups)
* Tamarind - 20gms (More Tamarind May Be Used For More Sourness)
* Bengal Gram - 2tsps
* Black Gram - 1tsp
* Fenugreek Seeds - 1/8tsp
* Mustard Seeds - 1tsp
* Green Chilies – 3
* Red Chilies – 3
* Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
* Curry Leaves – Few
* Asafoetida - 1/8tsp
* Pea Nuts - 2Tbsps
* Salt to Taste
* Oil - 3Tbsps

Preparations:

Take rice in a bowl and add water to it. Wash the rice thoroughly and discard the water. Add the measured water to the washed rice. Place this rice bowl in a pressure cooker and cook. After first whistle, cook the rice on low flame for 10 minutes. Remove the cooked rice from the cooker once it cools down. Immediately spread the cooked rice, using a fork, into a broad vessel.

Take tamarind into a microwave safe bowl and add water to it. Place this bowl in oven and cook on high power for 1 ½ minutes or till the mixture reaches a rolling boil. Stir once and again cook the tamarind on 30% power for 2 minutes. Cool the tamarind mixture and grind to a smooth paste.

Wash and cut green chilies to medium sized pieces. Remove stalks and break red chilies into medium sized pieces.

Method:

Add tamarind pulp and salt to the rice and mix well with a fork.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add peanuts and fry till they crack. Remove the fried pea nuts and add to the prepared rice. To the remaining oil add fenugreek seeds, bengal gram and black gram. Fry till the seeds start changing color. Then add the mustard seeds and fry till they splutter. Then add asafoetida, green chili pieces, curry leaves and red chili pieces. Fry the seasoning well and switch off the flame. Add turmeric powder and mix well. Now add this fried seasoning to the prepared rice and mix well gently. Serve after 3 to 4 hours.

Points to Notice:

After rice is cooked, spread it on a plate or in a broad vessel to cool down. While spreading the rice, use a fork so that the rice grains will not get mashed up.

Do not use old tamarind—as the pulp prepared from old tamarind will look dark in color. New tamarind will not be too sour and has its natural sweetness too.

Cooking the tamarind further on 30% power thickens and brings the right consistency.

Fry pea nuts till you hear a crackling sound—otherwise they will be raw.

Adding turmeric powder to the seasoning helps in getting mixed with the hot oil. This seasoning when mixed with the rice coats the yellow color evenly.

Prepare this dish in the morning and eat in the afternoon or evening for best results. The tamarind infused rice tastes better and also gets its colour when rested for few hours.

How to make Undrallu (South Indian Modak Recipe)

Undrallu is considered to be the favorite dish of Lord Ganesha and in South Indian this dish is prepared in all houses during the festival of Ganesh Chathurthi (Vinayaka Chavithi). Here is the recipe for preparation of Undrallu

Makes: 17 Undrallu

Ingredients:

Rice Rawa – 3Cups (50ml Cup)

Bengal Gram – 1 Cup (50ml Cup)

Salt to Taste

Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp

Ghee – 1tsp

Preparations:

Take rice rawa in a bowl and wash it. Add water to cook the rawa. For one cup of rawa add 1 ¾ cups of water. Place this bowl in a pressure cooker and cook on high flame till pressure develops. Then simmer the cooker and cook for 10 minutes. Allow the cooker to cool completely and then remove the bowl.

Take Bengal gram in a separate bowl and wash it. Add some water to the dal and cook on low flame. Cook the dal till it is just cooked but not over cooked. Once the dal is cooked, remove excess water from it and keep it aside.

Method:

Spread the cooked rawa in a flat dish to cool. When cooled, loosen the cooked rawa with fingers and remove all lumps. Add the cooked Bengal gram and salt to the cooked rawa.

Heat a pan and add one tsp of ghee to it. When ghee melts and is hot enough add the cumin seeds and fry till they crackle. Add this seasoning to the prepared rawa mixture and mix well. Wet your palm and start making laddoo shaped balls and spread them in a plate.

Take a microwave safe bowl and arrange the prepared balls (Undrallu) in it. Place this bowl in a microwave oven and cover it partially. Cook these undrallu on low power (30%) for four minutes. After two minutes standing time, remove the bowl from the oven. This process would ensure the undrallu to be firm in round shape. Serve these tasty Undrallu with ginger chutney. The flavour of ghee and fried cumin is sufficient to give this bland rawa a great taste. Generally Undrallu are prepared on Vinayaka Chaviti as they are Lord Ganesha’s favourites. But one can have these Undrallu as a breakfast or office / school pack also.

Points to Notice:

Do not overcook the dal. For checking the cooked status of gram, take a grain of cooked gram between fingers and press it. If the grain mashes easily it is over cooked. If the grain mashes under too hard a pressure then it is under cooked. If the grain mashes with little...pressure then it is done to the requirement.

One can steam these undrallu in a pressure cooker also. Place the bowl of undrallu in a pressure cooker and close the lid. Do not put the weight on the pressure cooker. Steam these undrallu for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool the cooker and then serve hot after waiting for a minute.

Heat the ghee sufficiently so that when cumin seeds are added to the hot ghee they should crackle right away. Then we get the full flavour of cumin seeds. Be careful not to burn the cumin seeds which would mess up the entire dish.

How to make Rawa ?

Soak rice for few hours. Once the rice is soaked drain it and spread it on a cloth to dry in shade. When dried grind this rice in a mixer grinder and sieve it. Then you get equal quantities of fine rice flour and fine rice rawa. Use rice rawa to prepare Undrallu and use rice flour to make Modaks. Both the preparations are Lord Ganesha’s favourites.