MODAK / STEAMED DUMPLINGS WITH SWEET FILLING- VINAYAKA CHAVITHI RECIPES !

Modak is a sweet dumpling popular in Western and Southern India. It is called modak in Marathi and Konkani as well as Gujarati language, modhaka or kadubu in Kannada, modhakam or Kozhukattai in Tamil and kudumu in Telugu.  The sweet filling inside the modak varies, while the soft shell is made from rice flour.  Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu god Ganesh.  The Puja always concludes with an offering of modak to the deity as a Prasad.  

You can fill the modak with variety of filling according to your choice.  Today I am posting the mixture of roasted Channa dhal and coconut filling. I am also giving few other variations.  But the outer shell is same for any modak.  

 

MODAK 

STEAMED DUMPLINGS WITH SWEET DUMPLING 

Yields - approximately 23 to 25 small modak

 

Ingredients:

Rice flour (You can use store bought Idiyappam flour) - 1 cup

Water - 1 1/4 cup

Ghee - 1/4 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Warm milk as needed 

Method :

 

 

 

 

Fillings:

1. Roasted Channa dhal and coconut filling

Ingredients for filling:

Roasted Channa dhal (Pottu Kadalai) - 1/4 cup

Dry coconut - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Cashews - 10 chopped finely

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 1/4 tsp for frying the cashew nuts

Method:

1. Slightly heat the roasted Channa dhal in the dry pan.  When cooled Powder the roasted gram and sugar together. Chop the cashews into small pieces.

2. Take a pan and tsp of ghee in it and roast cut cashews for few minutes until the cashews turn golden brown.

3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

4. The filling is ready. Keep this aside.

2. Coconut Filling

Coconut scrapped - 1/2 cup

Sugar-1/2 cup

Cashews - few chopped finely

Ghee - tsp

Cardamom powder - 2 pinches

Method:

1. Mix both coconut and sugar keep aside for 10 minutes.

2. Now put this in a vessel and heat in low flame until sugar melts well and coconut is cooked if you feel sticky when you touch it with 2 fingers.   Add the cardamom powder.

3. Now fry the cashew in the ghee and add to the coconut mixture.

4. Let it cool down completely. You can make this the day before day store it in airtight container.

3. Sesame filling

Sesame - 1/2 cup

Jaggery grated - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Fry the sesame in the pan and let it get roasted slightly.

2. Let it cool.  Powder it with Jaggery and use for the filling.

3. You can make a day before and store in the air tight container.

Read more...

LAYERED KARJIKAI / KAJJIKAI (LAYERED DEEP FRIED DUMPLING) VINAYAKA CHAVITHI RECIPES II STEPWISE

Karjikai/Karjikayi/Kajjikai/kajjikayalu is a traditional sweet prepared during diwali and Ganesh pooja. It is prepared by making small balls made out of all-purpose flour.  The small balls are rolled into thin puris and filled with a variety of fillings and deep fried.  This can be stored for even 20 days in an air-tight container and it stays fresh.  There are different variations in the filling and every one follows their family recipe or tweaks it according to their liking. Whatever the name and variation they are super delicious with light crispy layer and delicious sweet filling.  I bet you can't stop by eating one.  I made 2 types of Karjikai with different filling before the day of Vinayaka Chavithi. 

Here is the variation of usual Karjikai.  This is layered Karjikai which comes out super crispy and filled with Roasted Channa dhal (Pottu kadalai in Tamil).  You can also use any kind of filling according to your liking. Here are few which I have posted earlier

Sesame Jaggery filling

Coconut filling

If you want to make plain Karjikai do take a look at this post KARJIKAI WITH COCONUT FILLING.

You can also play with different filling following the same procedure for outer wrapper. Make sure the filling is dry one so that you can store the sweet and enjoy...

LAYERED KARJIKAI / KAJJIKAI

Ingredients for outer wrapper:

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 1 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Oil for frying

Ingredients for filling:

Roasted Channa dhal (Pottu Kadalai) - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp

Sugar - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp

Cashews - 10 chopped finely

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Dry Coconut (grated) - 1/2 tbsp

Ghee - 1/4 tsp for frying the cashew nuts

Extra ghee/brown butter and flour for brushing in-between each discs.

You need 1/2 tsp of ghee and 1 tsp of flour for each layer.

Method:

1. Powder the roasted gram and sugar together. Chop the cashews into small pieces.

2. Take a pan and tsp of ghee in it and roast cut cashews for few minutes until the cashews turn golden brown.

3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

4. The filling is ready. Keep this aside.

  

Method for rolling and filling:

 

Note :

1. You can store the sweet in airtight container.  It stays good for 10 to 15 days.
2. You can also use rice flour instead of all purpose flour  for sprinkling inbetweet 2 layers of the rolled dough.  Personally I like to sprinkle all purpose flour(maida).

Enjoy !!!

Read more...