Fried Modak is a festive sweet with a crisp whole wheat flour crust and a filling of coconut, jaggery, sesame seeds and cardamom. Also called talniche modak, it is traditionally offered to Bhagwan Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 12 · 12 Fried Modak
  • Category: Sweets
  • Cuisine: Indian, Maharashtrian

Ingredients

  • 2 cups/240 grams whole wheat flour ((atta))
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or as required)
  • 2 tablespoons oil (– warm or lightly hot)
  • water (as required, to knead the dough)
  • 1½ cups jaggery powder (or chopped jaggery)
  • 1½ cups unsweetened desiccated coconut (or fresh grated coconut)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
  • 1 to 1½ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1 to 2 pinches grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg, optional)
  • ½ cup water ((do not add if using fresh coconut))
  • oil (– as required, for deep frying)

Method

Preparing The Dough

  1. With the ingredients mentioned "for the outer crust", make a smooth but stiff and firm dough. It should not be soft like a roti or bread dough.
  2. Cover and keep the dough aside for 20 to 30 minutes.

Making Filling

  1. Mix all the stuffing ingredients as listed under "for the sweet stuffing".
  2. Cook and stir on a low or medium heat till the mixture is soft, cooked and looks moist. There should be no water in the filling mixture. Note that if using fresh coconut, then do not add water.
  3. Keep aside the filling mixture to cool.

Assembling & Shaping

  1. Take a small ball from the dough and roll it in your palms to form a neat ball.
  2. Lightly dust with flour and roll to a thin or medium-thin circle of about 3 to 4½ inches diameter.
  3. Gently take this circle of the rolled dough on your palm or place it on the rolling board.
  4. Now add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sweet filling in the center.
  5. Brush some water on the edges.
  6. Join and pinch the edges one by one.
  7. Bring together all the pinched folds in the center and join them well.
  8. Keep in mind to seal the modak very well. Any small opening will lead to the filling being released in the oil while frying.

Making Fried Modak

  1. Heat oil in a kadai or pan until medium hot. Once the oil becomes hot, carefully and gently add the prepared wheat modak.
  2. When they become light golden turn over them gently with a slotted spoon and continue to fry.
  3. This way turning few times as needed fry them until the crust becomes golden and crisp.
  4. You can shallow or deep fry them as per your preference.
  5. Once done remove the fried wheat modak with a slotted spoon draining as much oil as possible in the pan or kadai. Then place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb extra oil.
  6. This way fry the remaining wheat modak in batches.
  7. Offer to Bhagwan Ganesha during the pooja. You can also serve them as a sweet snack.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.