Ukadiche modak

Ingredients for 4

Filling

• 1 tspghee
• 200 gfreshly grated coconut
• 150 gjaggery (grated or chopped; adjust to taste)
• 1 tbspwhite poppy seeds (optional, dry-toasted)
• 0.5 tspgreen cardamom (freshly ground)
• 1 pinchnutmeg (optional)

Dough (ukad)

• 250 gfine rice flour (ideally from fragrant short-grain rice such as Ambemohar or Indrayani)
• 300 mlwater
• 1 tspghee (plus a little more for your hands)
• 1 pinchsalt

To serve

• ghee (a spoonful poured over each warm modak)

Method

1. Warm 1 tsp ghee in a heavy pan, add the coconut and stir over low heat for 2 minutes until it smells fragrant. · timer 2 min
2. Add the jaggery and poppy seeds and keep stirring until the jaggery melts and the mixture turns sticky and moist but not wet. · timer 8 min
3. Stir in the cardamom and nutmeg, take off the heat and let the filling cool completely.
4. Bring the water to a boil with the salt and 1 tsp ghee.
5. Turn the heat to low, tip in all the rice flour at once and stir fast until no dry flour is left.
6. Cover the pan, take it off the heat and leave the dough to steam in its own heat. · timer 5 min
7. While still warm, knead the dough with greased or wet hands until completely smooth and supple. Keep it covered with a damp cloth.
8. Take a lime-sized ball of dough, press it into a thin cup with your thumbs, keeping the base slightly thicker than the rim.
9. Pinch the rim into 9 to 13 small even pleats all round.
10. Spoon about 1 tbsp of filling into the cup, gather the pleats together and twist them into a pointed tip. Seal any cracks with a wet finger.
11. Repeat with the rest, covering the finished modak so they do not dry out. A greased modak mould can be used instead of hand-pleating.
12. Line a steamer with a damp cloth, banana leaf or turmeric leaves, set the modak on it with space between them and dab each with a little water.
13. Steam over medium heat until the dough looks glossy and slightly translucent. · timer 12 min
14. Serve warm with a spoonful of ghee on top.