Ganesh Chaturthi, one of India's most cherished festivals, is synonymous with the sweet and savory offerings made in honour of the deity who is revered as the remover of obstacles and the harbinger of wisdom. Modak, a quintessential treat for this auspicious occasion, is a delectable dumpling-like sweet that happens to be Lord Ganesha's favorite delicacy. Crafted with love and devotion, these bite-sized delights are not just a culinary delight but a manifestation of faith, culture, and heritage.
Here are some modak recipes shared by chefs that you can try at home this Ganesh Chaturthi:
1. Gulab Modak (Chef Gaurav Malhotra, who is the Sr. Sous Chef, The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi)
Ingredients:
- Khoya: 150 gm
- Sugar: 50 gm
- Elaichi Powder: 1 gm
- Gulkand: 75 gm
Method:
- Grate Khoya and mix together with sugar and Elaichi powder.
- Divide the mixture into small equal sized roundels.
- Stuff each with a pinch of gulkand.
- Put the stuffed roundel into modak shaped mould and set the shape.
- Take out and serve with garnish of dry rose petals or fresh rose petals.
2. Pista Modak: (Chef Gaurav Malhotra, who is the Sr. Sous Chef, The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi)
Ingredients:
- Khoya: 150 gm
- Sugar: 50 gm
- Elaichi Powder: 1 gm
- Pista: 10 gm
- Almond: 10 gm
Method:
- Grate Khoya and mix together with sugar and Elaichi powder.
- Divide the mixture into small equal sized roundels.
- Blanch Almond and Pista, deskin and fine chop both
- Stuff each with a pinch of dry fruit.
- Put the stuffed roundel into modak shaped mould and set the shape.
- Take out and serve with garnish of pista and Kesar.
3. Chocolate Modak: (Chef Gaurav Malhotra, who is the Sr. Sous Chef, The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi)
Ingredients:
- Khoya: 150 gm
- Sugar: 50 gm
- Elaichi Powder: 1 gm
- Chocolate Compound: 25 gm
Method:
- Grate Khoya and mix together with grated chocolate, sugar and Elaichi powder.
- Divide the mixture into small equal sized roundels.
- Put the roundel into modak shaped mould and set the shape.
- Take out and serve with garnish of chocolate sticks.
Note :
- We can use modak moulds easily available in market to give the desired uniform shape.
- While placing the modaks in the steamer it is always recommended to grease the tray of the steamer to prevent the base of modak from sticking.
- While shaping the modak you should always apply some ghee on your hands.
4. Dates and Orange Modak (By Altamsh Patel, who is an Executive Chef, at Hilton Mumbai International Airport)
Ingredients:
- Milk chocolate: 150gm
- Dates: 50gm
- Orange marmalade: 10gm
Method:
- Combine dark chocolate and orange marmalade and mix well, allow chocolate to melt until the mixture is smooth in consistency.
- Melt milk chocolate using double boiler method. And keep aside.
- Stir melting milk chocolate. Remove from heat and keep mixing till smooth.
- Pour in melted milk chocolate into modak moulds.
- Tap lightly and scrap off the excess chocolate using scraper.
- Refrigerate for 1min.
- Pour the chocolate back into bowl from moulds. Scrap off the excess and refrigerate for 1 minutes.
- Fill a piping bag with the prepared dates and orange marmalade- chocolate ganache and pipe into the moulds, leaving a little space. Refrigerate for 1 minute.
- Pour the melted milk chocolate in the left space in the moulds, tap lightly, scrap off the excess and refrigerate till fully set.
- Demould, brush edible gold dust on top of modak.
5. Pistachio and Cranberry Modak (By Altamsh Patel, who is an Executive Chef, at Hilton Mumbai International Airport)
Ingredients:
- White chocolate: 150gm
- Pistachio: 50gm
- Dried cranberry: 10gm
Method:
- Add dark chocolate to the dried chopped cranberry and mix well, allow chocolate to melt until the mixture is smooth in consistency.
- Melt milk chocolate using double boiler method. And keep aside.
- Stir melting milk chocolate. Remove from heat and keep mixing till smooth.
- Pour in melted milk chocolate into modak moulds.
- Tap lightly and scrap off the excess chocolate using scraper.
- Refrigerate for 1min.
- Pour the chocolate back into bowl from moulds. Scrap off the excess and refrigerate for 1 minutes.
- Fill a piping bag with the prepared Pistachio and Cranberry- chocolate ganache and pipe into the moulds, leaving a little space. Refrigerate for 1 minute.
- Pour the melted milk chocolate in the left space in the moulds, tap lightly, scrap off the excess and refrigerate till fully set.
- Demould, brush edible gold dust on top of modak.
6. Vanilla and Matcha Modak (By Altamsh Patel, who is an Executive Chef, at Hilton Mumbai International Airport)
Ingredients:
- Milk chocolate: 150gm
- White chocolate: 50gm
- Matcha Green Tea Extract: 10gm
- Vanilla Bean Pod: 2gm
Method:
- Add Milk chocolate to the Matcha Green Tea extract and vanilla beans pulp mixture and mix well, allow chocolate to melt until the mixture is smooth in consistency.
- Melt milk chocolate using double boiler method. And keep aside.
- Stir melting milk chocolate. Remove from heat and keep mixing till smooth.
- Pour in melted milk chocolate into modak moulds.
- Tap lightly and scrap off the excess chocolate using scraper.
- Refrigerate for 1min.
- Pour the chocolate back into bowl from moulds. Scrap off the excess and refrigerate for 1 minutes.
- Fill a piping bag with the prepared matcha green tea and vanilla pod pulp - chocolate ganache and pipe into the moulds, leaving a little space. Refrigerate for 1 minute.
- Pour the melted milk chocolate in the left space in the moulds, tap lightly, scrap off the excess and refrigerate till fully set.
- Demould, brush edible gold dust on top of modak.
7. White Chocolate and Kashmiri Saffron (By Altamsh Patel, who is an Executive Chef, at Hilton Mumbai International Airport)
Ingredients:
- White chocolate: 150gm
- Milk chocolate: 50gm
- Kashmiri Saffron: 3gm
- Edible gold dust: 2gm
Method:
- Add White Chocolate to the Kashmiri Saffron and mix well, allow chocolate to melt until the mixture is smooth in consistency.
- Melt milk chocolate using double boiler method. And keep aside.
- Stir melting milk chocolate. Remove from heat and keep mixing till smooth.
- Pour in melted milk chocolate into modak moulds.
- Tap lightly and scrap off the excess chocolate using scraper.
- Refrigerate for 1min.
- Pour the chocolate back into bowl from moulds. Scrap off the excess and refrigerate for 1 minutes.
- Fill a piping bag with the prepared saffron - chocolate ganache and pipe into the moulds, leaving a little space. Refrigerate for 1 minute.
- Pour the melted milk chocolate in the left space in the moulds, tap lightly, scrap off the excess and refrigerate till fully set.
- Demould, brush edible gold dust on top of modak.
8. Dry Fruit Mawa Modak (By Altamsh Patel, who is an Executive Chef, at Hilton Mumbai International Airport)
Ingredients:
- Mawa: 150gm
- Almond: 15gm
- Sugar: 100gm
- Pistachio: 15gm
- Green cardamom: 3gm
- Saffron: 1gm
Method:
- Heat a non-stick pan, add mawa and sugar and stir on low heat till both mawa and sugar melt.
- Add soaked saffron and mix well. Add chopped Nuts, mix and cook till the mixture thickens.
- Take the pan off the heat and transfer the mixture into a large bowl and set aside to cool down to room temperature.
- Grease the modak mould with some oil. Stuff it with a portion of the mixture and press gently.
- Demould, arrange the modaks on a serving platter, garnish with pistachios and serve.
9. Mango Chilli Modak (By Altamsh Patel, who is an Executive Chef, at Hilton Mumbai International Airport)
Ingredients:
- Milk chocolate: 150gm
- Mango Pulp: 50gm
- Red chili flakes: 3gm
- Edible gold dust: 2gm
Method:
- Heat mango pulp in a non- stick pan. Simmer it for some time on low heat.
- Add dark chocolate to the hot mango pulp and chili mixture and mix well, allow chocolate to melt until the mixture is smooth in consistency.
- Melt milk chocolate using double boiler method. And keep aside.
- Stir melting milk chocolate. Remove from heat and keep mixing till smooth.
- Pour in melted milk chocolate into modak moulds.
- Tap lightly and scrap off the excess chocolate using scraper.
- Refrigerate for 1min.
- Pour the chocolate back into bowl from moulds. Scrap off the excess and refrigerate for 1 minutes.
- Fill a piping bag with the prepared mango, chilli- chocolate ganache and pipe into the moulds, leaving a little space. Refrigerate for 1 minute.
- Pour the melted milk chocolate in the left space in the moulds, tap lightly, scrap off the excess and refrigerate till fully set.
- Demould, brush edible gold dust on top of modak.
10. Rasmalai Modak (By Chef Harshal Kamble, Lexicon Institute Of Hotel Management)
Ingredients:
- Cow milk- 500ml
- Sugar- 200g
- Lemon juice- 10ml
- Full fat milk- 500ml
- Khoya- 100g
- Condensed Milk- 50ml
- Saffron- 1/4g
- Rice Flour- 150g
- Freshly grated coconut- 100g
- Jaggery- 50g
- Ghee- 100ml
- Banana Leaf- 1
Method:
FOR RASMALAI [STUFFING]:
- Boil Cow milk and reduce to simmering temperature. Add Lemon juice and allow it to curdle and separate from whey
- Strain the chenna [soft milk solids] into muslin cloth, wash nicely under cold running water and hang for 30 minutes to drain the water.
- Prepare thin sugar syrup with 100 gm sugar & 500 gm water for cooking rasgullas. After 30 min remove chenna from cloth and mix properly until smooth.
- Prepare small balls and cook in boiling sugar syrup for 20 min. remove and cool.
FOR MALAI MILK:
- Boil and reduce full fat milk to half, add khoya, sugar & condensed milk, mix well.
- Add saffron and prepared Rasgulla balls and soak for 1 hr.
FOR MODAK STUFFING –
- Heat ghee, add coconut, khoya & jaggery and cook till nicely brown and keep aside.
FOR MODAK COVERING –
- Take 250 ml water and 150 gm of rice flour and cook on slow flame.
- Cover the same and allow the steam to form.
- Remove from fire, and knead the dough properly
FINAL ASSEMBLY –
- Make small dough balls of rice flour dough, flatten with your fingers, at the base put a spoon of coconut stuffing, place one small soaked Rasmali Ball and shape it like Modak.
- Place on banana leaf and steam for 15 min. Serve hot with lot of ghee on top and enjoy.