Mumbai chefs share unique recipes of modaks for you to gorge on

The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most celebrated festivals in the city and every year Mumbaikars get very excited for the festive season because they await the arrival of ‘Bappa'. The fact that people haven't been soak in the festivities in the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic is another reason why this time the city is going to come alive with song, dance and fanfare in its full capacity. Now, we all know that Ganeshotsav is incomplete without good food, especially the Modak, which is known to be the favourite sweet of Lord Ganesha.

Every year, devotees prepare a lot of modaks and offer it to the elephant-headed deity. After which they gorge on the sweet themselves and even serve it to guests who come visiting during this time of the year. It is not only those who worship the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati who enjoy the sweet but also every other person who lives in the city who tastes a modak at least once during the 10 days.

Traditionally, the sweet, which can be described as a sweet dumpling, is made from freshly grated coconut, jaggery along with condiments, and turned into a mixture that is stuffed into rice flour dough, to make a conical yet signature shape. However, over the years, modaks have evolved into different flavours that have also become popular because of the evolving taste of many people and for novelty purposes - one of the modern innovations being a chocolate modak.

Mid-day Online reached out to Mumbai chefs to share recipes for unique modaks for people to make this season. They not only make unique flavours but also combine other favourite sweets to make them.

Executive chef Jerson Fernandes takes a healthy and savoury route to make a nutty quinoa and sweet potato modak. Photo Courtesy: Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach

Nutty Quinoa and Sweet Potato Modak by Jerson Fernandes, executive chef, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach, Juhu
Modaks are conventionally known to be sweet but at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach, executive chef Jerson Fernandes takes a healthy and savoury route. He combines ingredients that are unique and give the modak very unconventional yet refreshing flavours, especially for those who don't enjoy sweets or are health conscious, but still want to feast on modaks. It is a spin on the taste, flavour and texture, he says, compared to the quintessential chocolate and mawa modaks made during this time. "This a healthy twist to the regular modaks made using fresh vegetables, nuts and millets. The crunch from the quinoa, the freshness from the vegetables, the sharpness from the mustard and the nuttiness from the roasted dry fruits marry each other really well making it a perfect snack to try during these days."

Ingredients:
Quinoa 150 gms
Sweet potato 150 gms
Chopped dates 20 gms
Grated raw papaya 50 gms
Chopped peanuts 20 gms
Chopped cashews 25 gms
Chopped raisins 25 gms
Chopped colour peppers 50 gms
Mustard paste 1 tbsp
Mayonnaise 1 tbsp
Oil 3 tbsp
Chopped coriander 30 gms
Seasoning to taste
Edible flowers for garnish
Saffron strands for garnish

Method:
1. Boil quinoa and sweet potatoes separately and allow them to cool.
2. Peel the sweet potato once cold and mash it to a paste-like consistency.
3. Heat a non-stick pan, dry roast dry fruits and allow them to cool.
4. Blend the sweet potato mixture with the quinoa, dry fruits, mustard-mayo mix, chopped vegetables and check seasoning.
5. Shape the mixture into modaks using a mould.
6. Garnish with fried quinoa, edible flowers and saffron strands.
7. Serve with a choice of dressing

Chef's tip: Apply coconut oil to the modak mould before stuffing in the mixture to ensure it doesn't stick while de-moulding.

Tangerine and Coconut Ukdiche Modak by Vedant Thengodkar, junior sous chef, ITC Grand Central, Parel
At the ITC Grand Central, the team is busy making different kinds of modaks to serve during this festive period. While junior sous chef has added a twist to the classic innovation of chocolate modak by adding the delicious flavour of berry compote, he also makes a mildly sour and sweet tangerine and coconut ukdiche modak. For those who are familiar with the traditional ukdiche modak and want to experiment with it, adding tangerine marmalade to it may do the trick, not only for you but also family and friends who visit you during this time.

Ingredients

For tangerine marmalade

Tangerine 5 nos
Water 1 cup
Sugar 2 cups

For modak filling

Grated fresh coconut 2 cup
Ghee 1 tsp

For modak dough

Water 2 cup
Salt ½ tsp
Ghee 1 tsp
Rice flour 2 cups

Method:

For tangerine marmalade
1. Remove the zest of the tangerine and cut into thin stripes.
2. Collect the pulp from the oranges and remove the seeds.
3. Combine the zest, water and sugar in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil.
4. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
5. In a muslin cloth put the seeds and the tangerine membranes and tie the cloth tightly to make a bag.
6. Place this bag in the mixture and boil the mixture (this will stop the marmalade from crystallising)
7. Cook the mixture, remove the bag and let the mixture cool.

For the filling
1. In a kadhai, heat 1 tsp of ghee and add grated coconut.
2. Sauté until the coconut turns aromatic.
3. Add the tangerine marmalade and mix with the coconut mixture properly and keep aside.

For modak dough
1. In a pot, heat 2 cups of water, ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp of ghee and bring to a boil.
2. Add 2 cups of rice flour to the hot water and mix gently.
3. Mix until the rice flour absorbs all the water.
4. Cover and rest the dough for 5 minutes.
5. Now transfer to a large bowl and start to knead the dough. Wet your hand to prevent it from burning.
6. Knead until the dough turns soft.

Making the modak
1. Take a ball sized dough mixture and flatten it.
2. With the help of both thumbs start pressing the edges and create a dent in the centre.
3. Slowly press from the edges till it forms a cup.
4. Start creating pleats with your index and thumb.
5. Now scoop a tablespoon of prepared coconut and tangerine mixture.
6. Get the pleats together to form a bundle.
7. Close the top by pinching and making it pointed.
8. Now place the modak in a steamer.
9. Cover and steam the modak for 10 minutes or till the shiny texture appears on them.

Also Read: Clarion call for brinjal: Mumbai chefs share easy recipes to turn the vegetable into a delicious treat

Tropical Modak by Shweta Agarwal, founder, Genda Phool, Thane West
For those who love coconut and pineapple, Shweta Agarwal, founder of Genda Phool, a city-based newly launched contemporary Indian mithai brand, suggests combining them both to make a tropical modak. While coconut is traditionally used to make a modak, this one adds pineapple crush to give it a mouth-watering fruity flavour. It will also stand out from the regular preparations because of a mild twist.

Ingredients (Serves: 10 - 12 modaks)
Desiccated coconut 100 gm
Sugar 80 gm
Milk 150 gm
Milk powder 20 gm
Pineapple crush 70 gm

Method:
1. Add milk, milk powder and sugar to a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Transfer the mixture to a pot, and on a medium flame stir as the mixture begins to cook.
3. Continue till it becomes lumpy and cooked. A quick trick to check if it's cooked is to make a pearl size ball using your fingers. If it doesn't stick to your fingers, the dough is cooked.
4. Add pineapple crush to above and cook till the moisture dries up.
5. Let the dough cool at room temperature.
6. Divide the dough into 10 parts (or depending on the size of the modak mould) and knead each part into a ball. Cover them with a moist cloth.
7. Press each ball into the modak mould and de-mould carefully.

Taking the city's love for puran poli and modak, Girish Nayak combines them both to make a delectable Puran Poli Modak. Photo Courtesy: Bombay Sweet Shop

Puran Poli Modak by Girish Nayak, chief mithaiwala, Bombay Sweet Shop, Byculla East
Modaks are a favourite in Mumbai but the Bombay Sweet Shop believes in taking it a step further by reimagining the sweet with a traditional and unique twist for their Ganpati Collection. They take people's love for puran poli in the city, especially during this time of the year, to make a modak with the delicious and familiar filling. Girish Nayak, chief mithaiwala, says, "The Puran Poli is said to be one of the staple offerings to Lord Ganesha during this time of the year and when we were ideating about a modak flavour to represent what the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi meant to the city of Bombay - Puran Poli was that instant connect." Nayak adds that the base of the modak is a saffron peda that is stuffed with the filling of a traditional Puran Poli. "Once the peda is filled into the modak shell, we prepare a filling with chana dal, jaggery, black pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. This is then stuffed into the modak. Lastly, the modak is coated with dried puran poli crumble to add that crunchy mouthfeel," he adds.

Ingredients:
Malai Peda Base (a combination of dried milk solids (khoya or mawa), sugar and milk) - 200 gm
Saffron - ¼ tsp
Bengal gram dal - 75 gm
Black jaggery - 50 gm
Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp
Pepper powder - ½ tsp

Method:
1. Wash Bengal gram dal. Boil it in water till it becomes soft. Decant the water on top.
2. Add jaggery to the cooked dal. Heat again, keep turning it over constantly until it forms a lump.
3. Let this cool down for a bit and afterwards grind it into a smooth paste without adding water. Add cardamom and pepper powder to it. Your puran is ready.
4. Make small balls of this and keep it aside in the fridge.
5. Powder the saffron using a mortar and pestle. Add this to the malai peda base and mix well.
6. Now put some of the saffron peda into the modak mould. Create a cavity in the bottom of the mould and fill it with the puran prepared earlier. Close the cavity with some more peda mix, and then demould.
7. Puran Poli Modaks are ready, serve them at room temperature.

Chocolate barfi cheesecake modak by Rachel Goenka, chef and founder, The Chocolate Spoon Company, Bandra West
In India, barfi is most people's favourite and with innovations being made over the years, city-based chef Rachel Goenka takes this very love for the barfi and modak to convert it into something new. Inspired by her chocolate barfi cheesecake, which is a part of her book 'My Adventures with Mithai', Goenka suggests people should try making a chocolate barfi cheesecake modak to get the best of both worlds this Ganesh Chaturthi. Using easily available ingredients like digestive biscuits, chocolate barfi and cream cheese among others, it is definitely one to savour on all days of the festival.

Ingredients (Serves 10)

Crust
Digestive biscuits 110 gm
Unsalted butter, softened 45 gm
Granulated sugar 20 gm
Chocolate barfi (only brown layer) 550 gm

Filling
Philadelphia cream cheese 380 gm
Castor sugar 75 gm
Cornflour 7.5 gm
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Dark chocolate, roughly chopped 200 gm
Heavy cream 175 gm

Garnish
Chocolate barfi 150 gm
Roasted almond flakes 20 gm

Mould
Modak Mould/ Modak Maker/ Modak Sancha

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a food processor, pulse the biscuits to a fine crumb. Add the softened butter and pulse until mixed. Add the granulated sugar and pulse again.
2. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of a greased modak mould.
3. If the chocolate barfi you are using is brown and white, cut out the white and only use the brown layer.
4. Layer the chocolate barfi over the crumb base. Gently press down to eliminate any gaps.
5. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, castor sugar and corn flour, and whisk till smooth.
6. In a saucepan, heat the cream and bring it to a simmer.
7. Pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute before stirring until smooth.
8. Add vanilla essence to the ganache. Gently fold the cream cheese mixture with the ganache and then pour the batter over the chocolate barfi crust.
9. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath (place the cheesecake modak mould in a larger square tin and pour hot water in the tin till it comes halfway up the sides of the moulds). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the centre is set.
10. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake, then cool for 60 minutes longer.
11. Garnish with crumbs of chocolate barfi and roasted almond flakes.

At St Regis Mumbai, Santosh Rawat uses rajgira and black jaggery to make a healthy option for this festive season. Photo Courtesy: The St Regis Mumbai

Amaranth modak by Santosh Rawat, executive pastry chef, The St. Regis Mumbai, Lower Parel
Why make a chocolate modak when you can make one out of Amaranth, more popularly known as Rajgira in India, which is used to make a variety of chikki? Santosh Rawat, executive pastry chef at The St Regis Mumbai, uses rajgira to make a healthy variety of the modak. He explains, "It is a healthy delicious dessert made from popped amaranth seeds and black jaggery, which has less sugar content compared to regular jaggery. Filled with antioxidants and minerals, this modak recipe is gluten-free and also rich in calcium, protein and fibre." The fact that it is only a three ingredient recipe means that it is a no-fuss preparation that is easy to cook and is ideal for those who are looking for quick DIY homemade Ganesh Chaturthi dessert options, Rawat adds.

Ingredients:
Black jaggery ½ cup
Ghee 1 tsp
Amaranth (rajgira) ½ cup

Method:
1. Heat a kadhai and add Amaranth seeds and stir it constantly.
2. Once all the amaranth seeds are puffed, take it out immediately on a plate to cool.
3. In a kadhai, add one spoon of ghee and add in the chopped jaggery.
4. Once the jaggery melts, cook for another 3-4 minutes.
5. Once you see foam appear on the melted jaggery, remove from heat and pour over the puffed amaranth and mix well.
6. Grease the modak mould with ghee and fill the mould with amaranth mixture and press it firmly.
7. Gently remove the modak from the mould and garnish with gold leaf (optional).
8. Store in an airtight container.

With chocolate modaks becoming a common occurence, home baker Krupa Jhaveri innovates by using motichoor laddoo. Photo Courtesy: Sweet Tooth by Krupa

Motichoor Chocolate Modak by Krupa Jhaveri, home baker, Wadala
A unique take on the traditional modak, home baker Krupa Jhaveri, who runs Sweet Tooth by Krupa, says people can experiment by making a modak out of only two ingredients combining motichoor ladoo and white chocolate. Interestingly, she has also made a chocolate biscoff modak in the past and seeing the popularity decided to do something new this year. She says, "I have observed that plain chocolate modaks year on year were turning out to be pretty much conventional, and that is why I thought of coming up with this unique blend and it has been appreciated till now."

Ingredients (For 8-10 modaks)
White chocolate compound - 150 gm
Motichoor ladoo - 100 gm

Method:
1. Melt the chocolate in a microwave at an interval of 30 seconds until completely melted. Alternatively, you could also use a double boiler method.
2. Pour the melted chocolate into the modak mould and then empty the chocolate in the bowl to just coat the mould and create a hollow for the motichoor ladoo. Set in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add motichoor ladoo in the hollow created and cover it with the balanced white chocolate.
4. Refrigerate in the fridge for 10 minutes or until completely set.
5. Do not over refrigerate since there are chances of condensation.

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