A savoury modak is usually associated with Ganesh Chaturthi or a devi pooja in a traditional Tamilian kitchen (without it, our naivedya would be incomplete). But there is no reason why these super healthy dumplings shouldn’t be made the rest of the year. They are a great way to combine rice and dal. And you don’t have to stick to urad dal, the traditional ingredient – you can also make them with chana dal, moong dal or a combination of these.
Serves
3
-
Cook Time
40m
Plus prep time of 30 minutes
Ingredients
For Dough
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 tsp sesame seed oil
- 1¼ cups water
- Salt to taste
- Wet muslin or table cloth
For Stuffing
- ½ cup urad dal
- 2 green chillies (or according to preference)
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- A few drops of sesame oil
- Water
For Tempering
- ¼ cup grated coconut
- 1 tsp sesame seed oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 6 to 8 curry leaves, slivered or finely chopped
- A pinch of asafoetida
Preparation
For Dough
- Boil water with ½ tsp oil and salt. Add rice flour, little by little, and keep mixing until the flour is over and it resembles dough. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
- While it’s still warm, knead into a soft smooth dough, incorporating the remaining oil. Keep covered in a wet muslin cloth until required.
For Filling
- Soak urad dal in water for half an hour or until it swells up.
- Drain excess water and grind the dal along with green chillies, salt and turmeric into a thick but smooth paste. Don’t use water while grinding.
- Divide this thick paste into equal portions and shape into balls. Place these in greased idli moulds or a plate and steam for 10 minutes or until a toothpick, if inserted, comes out clean.
- Remove and keep aside to cool. Crumble the steamed lentil balls with your fingers until they resemble breadcrumbs. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once it crackles, toss in the curry leaves and asafoetida, followed by the crumbled mixture and grated coconut. Mix well.
- Adjust salt and take it off the flame. Keep aside to cool.
For Modak
- Divide the modak dough into equal sized roundels. Shape each roundel into a cup and stuff it with a portion of urad dal mixture. Seal and shape into crescents, quite like karanji.
- Place the stuffed crescents into greased moulds and steam in a hot steamer for 10-12 minutes or until done.
- Remove from flame and serve hot.