Ganesh Chaturthi special recipe: Modak

Recipe by Executive Chef, Sridhar Sigatapu ,The Grand Mercure Hotel.

Ingredients:

 For the filling

 2 Cup grated fresh coconut

 1/2 Cup mixture of unsalted pistachios and unsalted cashews

1/2 Pinch of cardamom powder

 1/2 Cup milk

 1 Cup jaggery or sugar

 For the outer cover

 1 Cup rice flour

 1 tsp Ghee

 1 Cup water

 1/2 tsp Salt

Method:                

To prepare the filling, combine coconut, milk and jaggery or sugar and mix the ingredients well. Cook it over medium flame, stir continuously till they are mixed properly. Add cashews and pistachios and cook for about one minute. Now add cardamom powder. Keep aside the mixture to allow it to cool down. Bring the water to a boil in a vessel. Now add flour, ghee and salt, stir quickly to remove all lumps. Cover the vessel with a lid for some time and let it cook. Remove the lid and keep stirring the mix. Now remove the pan from heat and transfer all the mixture on a flat plate. Knead it to make soft dough. It should be neither too sticky nor too dry. Grease the palms of your hands properly and make a ball from the dough. Flatten the dough to make a cup shape. Put 3/4 tsp coconut filling into this cup. Dip thumb and index finger in the oil and make 5-6 small pinches on the outside edges of the cup. Bring them together on top and join to shape a peak. Put modaks on a greased plate. Make rest of the modaks in the similar way. Now steam them for about 15 minutes and serve with ghee.