Sweet tidings, ahoy

Modak

Ingredients

For modak

• Rice flour 1 cup
• Water 1½ cup
• Oil 15 ml
• Salt to taste

For Modak Stuffing

• White sesame seeds 1 tbsp
• Poppy seeds 1 tsp
• Grated coconut 1 cup
• Jaggery ½ cup
• Oil 15 ml
• Cardamom powder 15 gm
• Nutmeg powder ½ tsp

Method

• Take water in a vessel, add a few drops of oil and salt. w Boil.
• Add rice flour and stir on low flame for 30 seconds.
• Then switch off gas, mix with a thick spatula.
• Cover with a lid for five minutes.
• Allow dough to cool, or you can knead it while hot with gloves. Let the dough rest and come to room temperature.
• Cover with a damp cloth.

For the filling:

• Take a heavy bottomed pan, add ghee.
• Place on low heat and sauté poppy and sesame seeds. w Add grated coconut and jaggery powder. Keep stirring for 3-4 minutes.
• Jaggery should melt.
• Lastly, add cardamom and nutmeg powder. Mix nicely. Ensure you don’t over-cook.
• Place some cold water with ice cubes. Apply water over your palm. Make small balls from the rice flour.
• Flatten balls with the palms into a round shape. Ensure that the discs are neither too thick nor thin. Put a spoon of coconut-jaggery mixture in the centre of the round disc.
• Form pleats towards the edges and close towards the top into a cone shape. You could grease the modak mould and shape them in the mould.
• Place modak in a steamer and steam for seven to eight minutes on medium heat. You will see that the texture has changed, and it’s cooked. Covered with a lid. Alternatively, you could steam modaks in pressure cooker for eight to 10 minutes on low/medium heat without the whistle.

—  Recipe courtesy chef Suresh Thampy, executive chef, Sheraton Grand Bangalore at Brigade Gateway

Kara modak

Ingredients

• Rice flour 100 gm
• Water 250 gm
• Salt 20 gm
• Mustard seeds 10 gm
• Jeera seeds 5 gm
• Ghee 25 ml
• Green chilly 10 gm
• Curry leaves 5 gm
• Coriander 5 gm
• Ginger 5 gm
• Grated coconut 10 gm

Method

• Take a heavy bottomed pan, make a tempering with ghee, mustard seed, jeera, curry leaves, ginger, coriander leaves and coconut.
• Once its turns golden brown, add water, bring to boil. w Add rice flour and mix thoroughly, make dumplings out of it.
• Steam with the help of a steamer till cooked (10 minutes). 

Motichur Ladoo

Ingredients

• Besan flour 500 gm
• Sugar 1 kg
• Red colour 2 gm
• Almond 100 gm
• Pista 100 gm
• Raisin 50 gm
• Cashewnuts 100 gm
• Ghee 50 ml
• Cardamom powder 1 tbsp
• Oil 2 kg
• Water 700 ml

Method

• Make a batter with besan flour, water, colour and keep aside. w Make a sugar syrup with water and sugar, add lemon and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai, once oil is hot make a small boondi with help of ladoo jara.
• Once it’s cooked, remove from oil, mix boondi with sugar syrup, keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Remove from syrup, mix with dry nuts.
• Make small dumplings and serve.

— Recipes courtesy chef Kasiviswanathan, executive chef, Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru