Every Puneite knows Ganeshotsav is incomplete without the tantalizing aroma of freshly made modaks wafting from the kitchen. This season we bring you the best of tradition with a millennial twist..
From the Greek connection to a savory Italian tang; these contemporary modaks and sweetmeats beguile the evolved Puneri palate.
Greek Modaks
Ingredients: 2 cups water, 1 tsp butter, 8 tbsp honey, 1 and ½ cup rice flour, ½ tsp butterscotch essence, ½ tsp cinnamon powder, salt to taste, grate ½ blood orange zest or 1 lemon zest, ½ cup roasted nuts of your choice.
Method:
- Grind the nuts and lemon zest before you mix in half the honey, butterscotch essence and cinnamon powder.
- Now boil 1 cup water and honey in a pan till the mix thickens and set the syrup aside.
- To create the dough, take 1 cup of lukewarm water, butter salt and toss in the flour before you knead, cover and set aside.
- Section the dough into small discs that shall be filled with 2 tsp of dry fruit mixture each. Now place a tsp of honeyed syrup in each disc before you mold it into a modak shape.
- Steam the modaks sans any pressure for 15 minutes before you serve them with a spot of ghee.
Corn and Cheese Modaks
Ingredients: 2 cups grated cooking cheese, grated veggies like a carrot and capsicum, 1 cup boiled corn, 1 cup water, ½ tbsp rock salt, 1 tbsp oregano, ½ tbsp chilli flakes, 1 tbsp ghee, 100 gm rice flour, a handful of diced pudina.
Method:
- Take lukewarm water, half of the salt and mix in the flour and a part of the pudina. Knead into dough and set aside.
- Now take a large mixing bowl and mash the rest of the ingredients together for the filling.
- Create small discs of the dough, scoop in a bit of the filling in the middle and shape into a modak. The dough should suffice for over 10 modaks.
- Once the modaks are ready, you must deep fry them in a deep pan of oil and serve them oozing with molten cheese.
Savory Cottage Cheese Modaks
Ingredients: 1 cup diced cottage cheese, ½ a diced onion, ½ julienne tomato, 2 slit red chillies, a handful of finely diced coriander, 2 cups water, 1 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp Amchur masala, 1 tbsp oil, 1 cup rice flour, a pinch of salt
Method:
- Boil the water and stir in the salt, flour to knead into dough. Set aside.
- For the tadka, toss in the cumin into hot oil in a pan and sautee the chillies and onion. Once caramelized, throw in the tomato and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Incorporate the masalas, coriander and cottage cheese in the pan to mix.
- Section the flour into tiny balls for the modak. Roll them out and fill with a spoon of the mixture before shaping it in the form of a modak.
- Lastly, steam them all for no longer than 10 minutes and they’re ready to eat!
Sweet Potato and Walnut Kheer
Ingredients: ½ kg boiled, peeled and diced sweet potatoes, 2 tbsp sabudana powder, 1 litre milk, 1 cup honey, ½ tsp cinnamon powder, 2 tbsp pistachios or almonds, a handful of diced walnuts
Method:
- Soak the sabudana in a cup of water for an hour. At the same time, sauté the sweet potatoes with a spoon of butter in a hot pan
- Heat the milk until it partially condenses and toss in the sabudana letting it cook.
- Incorporate the sweetness, diced sweet potatoes, cinnamon and nuts while stirring. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes and then dish up piping hot! So, cook up a storm with these recipes to kick off your festivities!
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