Ganapati Bappa Moraya

Hello after a very long time. I know I have been away from my blog but I just had to come back today to wish you all Ganapati Bappa Moraya!! I hope you all enjoy the Ganapati festival just as much as I do with my family here in UK.

My parents are here to visit and we have been very busy doing all sorts of activities with them and that's the reason behind my absence from the blogging world. Thanks to all those who have sent me lovely mails in this past month. I will return to regular blogging soon . I promise. Till then have a great time celebrating the Ganapati festival wherever you are in the world.

I leave you today with 2 Ganapati special recipe posts from last year. Hope to find them useful.

What I have for you today is a very special dish made particularly on Ganesh Chaturthi as it is Ganapati Bappa's favourite. It is Modak. The one I have for you today is the fried and the steamed version .

Ingredients:
For the outer cover :
1 cup Plain Flour,
2 tspn Fine Semolina,
3 tblspn very hot oil
A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the filling:
210 gms fresh shredded coconut
1 cup jaggery (palm sugar)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tspn cardammom powder
1/2 tspn nutmeg powder

Procedure:
Filling: (Filling can be prepared one day in advance and kept ready)

1. In a heavy bottom pan mix the coconut, jaggery and sugar on a moderate to low heat . Keep stirring until the the mixture loses moisture and becomes slightly dry. This takes about 10 t0 15 minutes .
2. Switch off the gas and then sprinkle the two spice powders and mix well. The mixture is ready. Optionally you can make it richer by adding raisins, broken cashewnuts etc. Keep the mixture covered until you need it.

For the outer cover:
1. Mix all the ingredients and knead into a firm dough. Keep covered for at 30 minutes.
2. Before using soften the dough by drizzling a bit of Ghee (clarified butter) on it and pound it in a pestle and mortar. This is very tedious but very neccessary. It makes the dough pliable.
3. Now make small balls of dough. Roll out one ball at a time into a thin puri.
4. Place it on your palm and put a tspn full of filling in the centre. Pinch the sides of the puri at regular intervals and close the modak firmly from the top. Place the modak on a plate and cover the dish with a clean wet cloth so that the modaks do not dry out .
5. Make all the modaks in the same way.
6. Deep fry 3 to 4 modaks at a time on a moderate to low heat. Let cool and then store a container.

The steamed version of Modak is even more delicious. Follow these steps carefully and you will have the most gorgeous modaks on Ganesh Chaturthi

Ingredients (For 7 to 8 Modak):
For the outer cover:1 katori very fine Rice flour (sieve the rice flour to get a fine and soft flour),
1 katori water,
a pinch of salt,

Ingredients for the sweet stuffing
:2 cups fresh grated coconut,
1 cup jaggery (palm sugar)
1/2 tspn cardamom powder,
1/2 tspn grated nutmeg

Procedure for Outer Cover:
1.In a steel container mix the rice flour ,water and salt to make a smooth paste
2. Pressure cook this paste like you would do for dal in a pressure cooker, (thats about 3 whistles and simmer for 5 to 7 mins)
3. Let the pressure cooker cool for a while before opening it.

Procedure for the stuffing:
1. While the pressure cooker cools down prepare the stuffing.
2. In a heavy bottom pan mix the grated coconut and jaggery and cook the mixture for 20 to 25 mins on a very low heat, stirring frequently
3. After switching off the heat add the cardamom and nutmeg. Let the stuffing cool.
4. After the rice flour dough which is called Ukad has cooled down enough to handle ,oil your palms well and knead this dough till it becomes very pliable and soft enough to fill and shape into a modak. Along with oil also use water on your hands to further assist you with this.
5. Now make a lemon size ball of dough ,place it between two oiled plastic sheets and spread out the dough with your thumb to the size of a puri (see pic)
6. Place this puri on your wet palm and place a tblspn full of stuffing in the centre.
Make vertical pleats in the dough by pinching it at regular intervals between your thumb and forefinger (I wish I could show you a pic but I was struggling so much at this stage that holding a camera was simply impossible)
7. Now close the modak from the top by creating tapering shape .(Gosh! I am so bad at explaining this) But I guess all marathi readers will know what I am talking about and for others the final product should look like the modak in the main pic and the pic below. )
8. To steam these I used an idli cooker and idli moulds. Use any kind of good steamer. At home in India we normally place a soft muslin in a colander ,put all the modaks in it and then place the colander just inside the rim of the pressure cooker and steam for 15 to 17 mins. Alternatively they can be steamed in an electric rice cooker too.

Imp Note: Before steaming, dip each modak quickly in water and then place in the steamer. This prevents the modaks from cracking
Serve with generous dollops of homemade ghee. No ! don't say no to Ghee. You must have Ghee (or Sajuk toop as we call it) with Modak.
ENJOY!!!!