India's cultural diversity shines through its culinary traditions. Here's an easy recipe of coconut and jaggery modak from The Tastes of India Podcast on Audible to celebrate Gudi Padwa.
Ingredients
Coconut - 2 cups, grated
Jaggery - 1 cup, powdered or grated
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 3 tsp, optional
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt - 1 pinch, optional
For making the filling (puran), heat a pan and add ghee. Add jaggery and coconut, sauté until well blended and thickened. Mix in cardamom powder and turn off the heat. Let it cool down.
For making the dough, bring 1 cup of water to boil. Add ghee and salt, mix well. Turn off the heat and add rice flour, stirring until well combined. Cover and let it rest for 4-5 minutes until slightly cooled.
Transfer the dough to a clean plate, add 1-2 tsp of ghee, and knead into a smooth dough. Keep it covered for sometime before making equal-sized balls.
To make the modak, divide the filling into equal 1 tbsp measures and form neat balls. Set aside.
Take a lemon-sized ball of rice flour dough and flatten it. Use your fingers and thumb to make small cups out of the dough.
Place one ball of the sweet mixture in the center and bring the edges to the top, sealing it. Ensure the top is pointy.
Repeat the same with the rest of the dough. Grease the steamer with some ghee and place all the prepared modak on it.
Close the lid and steam for 10-12 minutes or until the outer cover becomes shiny. Remove from the steamer, let it cool down, and serve.