Fried modak recipe with step by step photos and video. Fried Modak is a delicious sweet with crispy outer of wheat flour and a tasty coconut -jaggery filling , flavored with cardamom.
Modak is Lord Ganesh's favorite sweet and many varieties are offered to him during 10 days of festival. Other popular recipes which are often prepare during Ganesh chaturthi are Ukadiche Modak , Instant mawa Dryfruits Modak , Kara Kadbu , Kayi holige (Nariyal Poli ) and Puran Poli ( bele obbattu )
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About this recipe
Fried Modak is a variation of the much popular steamed modak ( ukadiche modak) . Though inside filling of both types of modak are same , the outer coverings are different. Fried modak coating is made with combination of wheat flour or all purpose flour and fine semolina where as traditional modak as rice flour covering.
It is easier to make Fried modak when compared with traditional modak. Infact to make modak , one need to know how to shape it. Though modak moulds are easily available mastering the shaping techniques yields beautiful shaped modak.
In this post I have shared tips and methods to shape large modak without any moulds.
Fried Modak's are :
- extremely delicious
- easier to make
- crunchy on the outside
- can be deep-fried (traditional way), air-fried, or even baked.
- has more shelf life compared to the steamed ones
Ingredients
For outer covering : Wheat flour or All Purpose flour , Fine Semolina / Sooji / Rava , salt and ghee are used.
For filling : Fresh Coconut , Organic powdered Jaggery, poppy seeds , dry nuts , pinch of salt , Rice flour and cardamom powder to flavor.
Oil for deep frying
Refer recipe card for exact measurements.
Watch Video
Steps by step directions to make Fried Modak
For outer covering
Mix whole wheat flour, semolina , clarified butter and salt together.
Add water part by part and knead dough to make smooth but firm dough.
Grease dough with 1 tablespoon of oil ,
cover with damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
For filling
Into a blender add coconut , cardamom pods, dry ginger and blend. Alternatively you can use finely grated coconut and add cardamom powder.
In a thick botton pan , heat 1 tablespoon of ghee/ clarified butter. Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds and fry until it start to splutter.
Now add in coconut and roast on medium heat until moisture of coconut goes off, it takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add powdered jaggery and mix well.
Cook on low heat ,jaggery melts completely and starts to bubble.
Now when bubbles reduces completely , mix well everything. It will be sticky and slightly heavy to mix with still moisture within it.
Now turn off the heat , add pinch of salt and rice flour.
Mix well everything, rice flour absorbs the moisture but keeps the mixture soft without turning it hard.
Allow to cool completely.
When its completely cool , add chopped nuts mix well and make small balls . The mixture should be dry but should hold the shape.
For shaping modak
Now after 30 minutes, pinch dough and make 22 balls. 21 for modak and 1 for karanji.
Roll dough ball into thin 3.5 to 4inch disc. With finger pinch the circumference of the dough to make it even thinner.
Place the coconut jaggery filling at centre , and seal the edges . Alternatively , you can use a small bowl , place rolled dough inside small bowl.
Place the coconut-jaggery filling at the centre and
make pleats and bring dough to the centre.
Gently press , seal the dough and taper the dough to resemble tip of modak.
Now with a spoon edge, make deeper impressions on pleats. Watch video to know how to shape ,modak .
Repeat same and shape modak with remaining dough and filling.
For frying
Heat oil in a deep pan ,
When oil is hot enough , gently drop modak in hot oil .
Fry on medium heat by turning modak on all sides.
When modak turns golden in color , reove from oil and place on absorbent paper.
Once modak comes to room temperature , you can store in air tight containers.
Substitutions
To make outer covering , I have used whole wheat flour. But you can make it with All purpose flour. Or combination of both whole wheat flour and APF in 1: 1 ratio along with fine semolina .
Though jaggery powder is used traditionally ,as an alternative sugar can also be used to prepare the sweet filling.
Recipe Tips
For the outer covering: Use all-purpose flour, wheat flour, or a combination of both along with fine semolina to make modak covering.
For crispy outer crust: Add hot or warm ghee to the flour while mixing, it makes the covering nice and crispy.
Knead a smooth and firm dough: firm dough prevents the modaks from absorbing too much oil while frying.
Roll dough thin: Roll dough thin and thinner at outside circumference , so that when pleats are brought together at center , it will not be denser at the center.
Coconut Filling : Try to use fresh coconut for better results though frozen coconut flakes can be used.
Stuffing color: Depending on the color of jaggery, the color of the filling will vary. Dark jaggery will result in a darker saran.
Rice flour in filling : Adding rice flour to coconut jaggery mixture , helps to absorb any left over moisture in jaggery. This helps to keep the filling mixture dry. So that when Modak's are fried in hot oil , it helps jaggery to melt slightly inside the filling and makes it perfect without making it dry or too sticky .
Salt in filling : Pinch of salt in filling helps to bring out flavors , so do add salt to the filling.
Nuts are optional: though adding nuts to the filling is optional , I love to add as it gives a nice crunch.
Seal the modaks well: Even a small opening in the modak can drain the filling while frying and making the oil messy.
Cooking methods: Alternative to frying , you can also bake or air fry this modak .
FAQ's
Can I make fried modak using dry coconut?
Yes, desiccated coconut can be used to make modak. Just add 2-3 tablespoon of milk or water to bring in some moisture.
How to store fried modak?
Fried modak stays good for 4-5 days in room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
Why did the filling turn hard?
Overcooking the filling will make it hard. Cook it just till the mixture is dry but sticky , this prevents it from turning hard.
Why did my fried modak was oily ?
A soft dough will result in absorbing more oil while frying. So knead smooth but firm dough.
Why did my covering was not crispy ?
For crispy covering, knead the dough tight or stiff and add hot ghee to the dough while kneading.
Recipe
Fried Modak
Ingredients
For outer covering
- 3.5 cups wheat flour
- ½ cup fine semolina
- 3 tablespoon warm ghee - 2 tablespoon + 1 Tbsp
- ½ teaspoon salt
- water as required to knead dough
For filling
- 4 cups fresh coconut
- 7 cardamom pods
- ½ inch dry ginger
- 2.5 cups powdered jaggery
- 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoon of nuts - chopped
- 1 tablespoon of rice flour
- 1 /4 teaspoon of salt
Other ingredients
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
For outer covering
- Mix whole wheat flour, semolina , clarified butter and salt together.
- Add water part by part and knead dough to make smooth but firm dough.
- Grease dough with ½ tablespoon of oil , cover with damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
For filling
- Into a blender add coconut , cardamom pods, dry ginger and blend. Alternatively you can use finely grated coconut and add cardamom powder.
- In a thick botton pan , heat 1 tablespoon of ghee/ clarified butter.
- Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds and fry until it start to splutter.
- Now add in coconut and roast on medium heat until moisture of coconut goes off, it takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add powdered jaggery and mix well.
- Cook on low heat ,jaggery melts completely and starts to bubble.
- Now when bubbles reduces completely , mix well everything. It will be sticky and slightly hard with still moisture within it.
- Now turn off the heat , add pinch of salt and rice flour.
- Mix well everything, rice flour absorbs the moisture but keeps the mixture soft without turning it hard.
- Allow to cool completely.
- When its completely cool , add chopped nuts mix well and make small balls . The mixture should be dry but should hold the shape.
For shaping modak
- Now after 30 minutes, pinch dough and make 22 balls. 21 for modak and 1 for karanji.
- Roll dough ball into thin 2.5 to 3 inch disc. With finger pinch the circumference of the dough to make it even thinner.
- Place the coconut jaggery filling at centre , and seal the edges . Alternatively , you can use a small bowl , place rolled dough inside small bowl. Place the coconut-jaggery filling at the centre and make pleats and bring dough to the centre.
- Gently press , seal the dough and taper the dough to resemble tip of modak.
- Now with a spoon edge, make deeper impressions on pleats,
- Repeat same and shape modak with remaining dough and filling.
For frying
- Heat oil in a deep pan ,
- When oil is hot enough , gently drop modak in hot oil .
- Fry on medium heat by turning modak on all sides.
- When modak turns golden in color , reove from oil and place on absorbent paper.
- Once modak comes to room temperature , you can store in air tight containers.
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