Modak - Sweet Steamed Rice Dumplings

                     Lord Ganesh's favourite sweet is Modak.....It is customary to make these on the very first day of Ganesh Chaturthi....

Ingredients :

For the outer cover :

1 cup Rice Flour
1 tsp ghee
1 cup water
1/2 tsp oil
Salt to taste

For the Filling :

2 cup grated coconut
1 cup grated jaggery
1/2 tsp cardamom pd

Method :

Heat a pan. Add grated coconut and jaggery and stir together till it gets mixed well. Add cardamom pd and stir it. Keep aside.

Boil 1 cup of water in a vessel. Add salt and ghee to it. When it reached to a steady boil add rice flour and stir it immediately so as to remove all the lumps. The dough should neither be too stick nor too dry. Now remove the vessel from the heat and transfer the dough to a flat plate. Knead it thoroughly while hot. Make a soft dough. Divide this dough into small balls.

Grease the palms of your hands well. Take a ball and flatten it to form a cup shape. Stuff the above coconut filling into this cup shape. Dip the thumb and index finger in the oil and make 5-6 small pinches side by side on the edges of the cup. Bring them together on top and join to form a peak. Likewise, prepare all the modaks. 

Heat the steamer and place all the modaks and steam for about 15 minutes. 

Serve with ghee.