Ukadiche modak (Steamed Rice Modak) are famous in Maharashtra and konkan ……it is served  with sajuk tup(desi ghee / home-made ghee/clarified butter)

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

For outer modak covering

1 ½ cup rice flour(if your  in pune or Mumbai you get tandalachi pithi for ukadiche modak …. If you want to make rice flour at your home use ambemohar or basmati rice for this flour)

1 tsp butter or ghee

2 ½ cup of water

A pinch of salt

 For stuffing of modak

2 ½ cup grated coconut

2 cup grated jaggery

1 tsp cardamom powder (use freshly grounded cardamom)

2 tablespoon almond cashew nut powder(take almond cashew nuts equal in quantity)

Few strands of saffron(kesar)

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

For stuffing

1. Mix jaggery and grated coconut and keep it aside for ½ hour
2. After ½ an hour In a heavy bottom pan add this  jaggery coconut mixture ..stir the mixture ..cook this mixture till the jaggery starts thickening .
3. Don’t overcook as then the mixture will become very hard. Keep it aside for cooling
4. Add cashew nuts and almond powder and  cardamom powder …mix it  well..allow it to cool
5. As the stuffing mixture cools  it will thicken …

For covering

1. :-)Warning –This the most important task in this modak …don’t do any other work when you are doing this covering part ……
2. Mix water butter/ghee and salt in a pan keep it on flame …bring it to boil ….remove 1 cup of boiling water  and keep it aside…..we will add this water later if the mixture becomes  very stiff…we don’t want the mixture sticky or wet …remove the pan from flame
3. Now start adding little little  rice flour stirring it continuously in the pan containing the boiled water with ghee and salt….add all the rice flour in it …stir it continuously there should not be single lump in it….add the boiled water which we have removed if required the dough should not be very stiff …if the dough becomes very wet or sticky then add little more rice four to it ….consistency of ukad is the important part in ukadich modak …mix it properly with spatula…
4. Now keep this pan again on low flame and let the rice flour cook by covering its lid …steam should be trap inside to cook the dough….stir in between so that it should not stick the pan …the mixture will become little transparent that means its cooked
5. Now remove the dough over flat surface…let it become little warm then knead the mixture ….the dough will stick to your fingers ,for that apply little water or ghee to your palm ….knead it nicely
6. Make 2 inch ball of the dough (keep the remaining dough covered otherwise  hard layer will start forming  on dough … whenever the dough is required take it and cover it again) roll the dough on your palm and make a nice thin disc with your fingers and then make a bowl of it …now  add 1 tablespoon of stuffing inside this bowl shape dough and make 5 -6 pinches on the edges of this dough bowl
7. Now bring all the edges together and close the top shape and taper the top of the modak
8. Make all the modak this way 🙂
9. Grease steaming plate or cooker vessels with ghee or put muslin cloth on it this will help you to remove the modak …you can also use banana leaf , just keep banana leaf pieces on the plate or cooker veesel and keep ukadiche modak on it gives very nice flavor to your modak …steam modak for 6-7 minutes …transfer it in a serving bowl and serve them hot with ghee …..

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Top 6 Tips for making ukdiche modak perfect

1. Use fresh rice flour for ukadiche modak …older rice flour will get crack while steaming ….….
2. Sieve the rice flour before using it …
3. Knead the dough when its hot otherwise it won’t be pliable …..
4. Some people use freshly harvested rice for the rice flour ..This rice has sticky consistency and the dough which is form is very pliable to make modak covering…
5. Use non stick pan for making ukad for ukadiche modak….
6. Don’t do any other work while making ukadiche modak