Ukadiche Modak (Steamed rice dumplings with sweet coconut filling)

Prepare the filling:

• Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium flame. Add 1 teaspoon ghee and grated coconut and roast it for 2-3 minutes.
• Add jaggery, cardamom and roasted poppy seeds. Cook until they blend together and ooze out a little liquid, about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook. You just want the jaggery to mix well with the coconut and not have any lumps.
• Take the pan off the flame and let it cool. It is important that the mixture completely cools.
• You can also add finely chopped cashews, almonds and raisins added to it.
• You can also add 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg in this mixture if you like, along with the cardamom.

Prepare the covering:

• In a pot, bring 1 cup of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tsp ghee and salt (optional).
• Turn the flame to low. Add the rice flour, mix it well with a spoon. This will make a lumpy mixture. Turn off the flame. Cover the pot and leave it for 3-5 minutes.
• Note: The rice flour used here must be very fine. Some Indian grocery stores might carry Modak flour. Otherwise you can buy the normal rice flour at the store and run it through a fine sieve.
• Remove this to a large bowl and let it cool a bit. You want this mixture to be still warm while you make a dough from it.
• While the mixture is still warm, apply some ghee and warm water  to your hands and knead it until it is soft, about 5-7 minutes. The dough should not look patchy or crumble. You will need to add 2-3 tablespoons of warm water to get the perfect smooth dough. Optionally, you can add couple of teaspoons of warm milk while kneading the dough which will make it extra soft.
• Wrap the dough with a damp cloth. It is important to keep the dough damp and soft. Now make 12-14 lemon size balls. Note: The size of the balls will also depend on the size of the modak mold you have. Also keep the balls covered with the damp cloth.

Assembling Modak:

Modak can be shaped in two ways - using hands or using a mold. Using a mold is great for beginners and you get very good results with modak that does not break when steamed. Pleating and shaping modak by hand takes a lot of practice to get right. I am a beginner myself at making modak and hence used a mold, and I could get perfect results in my first try with my friend's recipe and tips (all here in this post).

Here is the steps to do using a mold:

• Apply some ghee or oil to the base of a steamer basket.
• Open the mold and apply ghee with your fingers to the inside of the mold. Close the mold, and place one lemon size dough ball inside the mold. Now with your finger start spreading the dough to the sides of the mold so it gets the shape. Allow some dough to come out of the mold which will be used to seal after adding the stuffing.
• Scoop in a spoonful of the filling and gently seal the bottom with the dough that came out of the mold. Open the mold and remove the modak gently. Place it in a steamer basket. Make remaining modak's in the same way. Between making modak's, apply ghee again to the mold.
• Optionally, place a strand of saffron on top of each modak and press it into the rice flour covering.
• Depending on the size of your steamer basket, you might want to steam modak in multiple batches. You want to make sure the modak are not placed too close to each other.

Shaping modak's using hands:

• Using your hand flatten the lemon size dough ball by applying pressure at the center, but keeping one finger at the edges to seal any broken sides. Keep applying warm water to your fingers as needed to seal the edges.
• Scoop in the mixture and slowly with the base of your hands wrap it up.
• Using a toothpick, make impression all around the modak for an easy pattern.
• Another way is to make petals on the sides of the flattened dough after adding the filling. Then wrapping it with the base of your hands.

Steaming Modak in the stovetop steamer:

• In a pot where the steamer basket fits, bring water to a rolling boil. Set the boiling water on medium heat. Place the steamer basket and steam the modak covered for 8-10 minutes. You should see a shine appear on the modak.
• Take the steamer basket out and let it cool for about 5 minutes. This will help make sure the base does not break when you pick up the modak.

Steaming Modak in the Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker:

• Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot insert and place the trivet. Let the water boil on saute mode while you are preparing the modak.
• Place the steamer basket with modak on the trivet. Close lid with valve in venting position. Set on steam mode and steam for 10 minutes. You will need an external timer to keeo the time.
• After 10 minutes, remove the lid after the pin has dropped. Carefully remove the steamer basket and let the modak cool for about 5 minutes. This will help make sure the base does not break when you pick up the modak.
• Ukadiche Modak is ready to be enjoyed!