Fried modak is a popular sweet made with wheat flour outer covering and coconut, jaggery filling. Deep fried especially in ghee or oil, it can keep good for few days too. These delicious crisp sweet dumpling can be made for festivals like Ganesh chaturthi.
You can prepare this for any festival as prasad offering. My mom actually told me this recipe as she made it for Grahapravesam.
Check out this Khajur modak recipe and khoya modak recipe, both easy as well as absolutely tasty.
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I was afraid last year how it would turn out without opening up in oil and if it would spoil the oil. She gave me the confidence as she made a lot of this and nothing opened up while frying. Mom deep fried this in ghee. And she told it kept good without getting spoiled for few days too. So I decided to try this out and it turned out really good. I found it easier than the regular kozhukattai 😊
Wishing all my readers, friends a happy Ganesh Chaturthi!! 😊
About Fried MOdak recipe
Fried modak is a crisp, golden, deep-fried dumplings with a wheat flour outer shell and a sweet coconut-jaggery filling, flavored with cardamom. Unlike steamed modak, this version stays fresh for couple of days. It's commonly made as prasad during Ganesh Chaturthi, though it can be prepared for any festival occasion. The key to a good fried modak is stiff dough and a thick, dry filling, both keep the dumpling from cracking open in hot oil.
Step by step photos
1. Firstly, in a pan, heat ½ cup coconut, ¼ cup jaggery, cardamom with a tablespoon of water. Cook over medium flame until the jaggery melts and again becomes thick. As soon as it starts leaving the sides, switch off the stove and set the mixture aside for cooling.
Prepare outer covering
2. Secondly, make a smooth dough out of flour, water (you can use luke warm water too) and salt, in a mixing bowl. Most importantly, let the dough be stiff and not too loose. If you add more water, then outer layer won't turn crisp.
Give resting time of minimum 10 minutes. After that, knead again 2 minutes to make it smooth.
3. Then, spread to big chapathis. After that, cut out smaller discs using a lid. Likewise, repeat to finish the dough and arrange in a broad plate. You can also knead and roll again the dough we cut out from the chapathi.
Shape fried modak
4. After that, make equal sides balls with the coconut pooranam we made in step 1. Grease your hands with ghee every time. Keep one ball of stuffing in the middle of the small disc.
5. Pleat it on the top and pinch to seal it. Repeat to finish all, in the same way.
Deep fry
6. Heat enough oil/ ghee in kadai, once hot, put the flame to medium. Drop few modaks at a time in hot ghee / oil. Cook in medium or low flame until golden turning now and then to avoid browning at spots. Drain excess oil/ ghee in paper towels.
Ghee fried modaks are crispier, tastier and keeps good for longer time. Delicious and flavourful fried modaks for Ganesh chaturthi!
Top tips
Ghee fried modak taste richer and keep fresh longer than oil fried ones.
If you have extra dough on top of the modak while shaping, pinch it off and shape it as it cooks unevenly otherwise.
Deep fry in medium to low heat throughout, it should not smoke.
Keep stirring while frying so that it turns golden brown in all the sides evenly.
Substitutions & Variations
Talniche modak - Maida version: Swap wheat flour with all-purpose flour if you like lighter shell instead of dense wheat flour texture.
Filling for modak variations: You can use sesame seeds filling or Semolina filling - use this recipe as reference for filling with suji, jaggery and coconut as ingredients. You can use Khoya or khajur filling too.
Instead of fresh coconut you can use desiccated coconut filling too. Use 2 tablespoons of water in that case while making the stuffing.
Troubleshooting
Modak open while frying - Seal the modak well with water while shaping. In case it burst opens, there can also be a chance of filling had too much moisture. Cook the stuffing little longer and make it thick.
Filling turned hard or brittle
This happens if the filling is cooked on too high flame or too. long after it thickens. Once it starts pulling the sides, switch off rightaway and always do in medium heat.
Outer cover is not crisp and have uneven texture/ bubbles
Check your dough. If it has too much moisture or rested too long, it gets wet and will turn soft because of that. Make a stiff,firm dough.
Modak browned outside but undercooked inside
The oil was likely too hot. Drop the flame to medium - low and give the modak more time to cook evenly.
FAQs
This particular dough are made for frying. Do try my Ukadiche modak recipe. You can still steam it like we do for momos, but the recipe is 'Fried modak'
How to stop the filling leaking out while frying?
Make sure you seal at the top by pinching firmly and close it before frying. If the dough is too dry, use a little water to seal at that place.
Recipe card
Fried Modak Recipe | Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes
Ingredients
Outer layer
- ½ cup Wheat flour heaped
- Water as needed
- Salt
Stuffing
- ½ cup Grated coconut
- ¼ cup Jaggery
- 1 Cardamom powdered
Instructions
Prepare stuffing
- In a pan, heat coconut, jaggery, cardamom with a tablespoon of water.
- Cook over medium flame until the jaggery melts and again becomes thick.
- It will start leaving the sides switch off and set aside for cooling.
For outer layer
- Make a smooth dough out of flour, water and salt, in a mixing bowl.
- Let the dough be stiff, not too loose. If you add more water, then outer layer won't turn crisp.
- Make big chapathis. Cut out smaller discs using a lid.
- Repeat to finish the dough and arrange in a broad plate.
- You can roll again the dough we cut out from the chapathi.
Shape fried modak
- Make equal sides balls with the coconut pooranam we made in step 1.
- Grease your hands with ghee every time. Keep one ball of stuffing in the middle of the small disc.
- pleat it on the top and pinch to seal it. Repeat to finish all, in the same way.
Deep frying
- Heat enough oil in kadai, once hot, put the flame to medium. Drop few modaks at a time.
- Cook in medium or low flame until golden turning now and then to avoid browning at spots. Drain in paper towels.
Video
Notes
- Make sure pooranam is not watery. If watery, it may lead to opening up while frying due too too much steam inside.
- If you mix the stufiing in high flame or for more time than needed, then it may turn hard or brittle.
- Make the dough stiff so that the covering turns crisp as you deep fry.
- To get a even cooked crispy modaks, cook in low flame for long time. At no point the ghee or oil should smoke while cooking.
- If you find more dough on the top while making modak shapes, pinch out little dough on the top after making the shape.
- Keep turning while the modak gets fried, otherwise it won't get evenly golden.
Veena Theagarajan says
wow! looks so yum Love your 2nd pic amazing Raks
Kaveri Venkatesh says
Lovely...I too tried it only a couple of days back...beautiful pics
Subashini says
My mother and aunt make this every month on sankatahara chathurthi...i am a big fan of this dish...lovely clicks as usual..
Arulpriya Mathiselvaraj says
Hi Raks.. this is really new to me.. gonna try this tomorrow Ganesh Chatuthi..
Unknown says
Plz upload Urdu some things k name nae pata apki recipes k so plzzzz Urdu m upload be kardy hmry haha some things k Name or h or apny India m or plzzzzz
Hinach Hinach says
Plz upload for Urdu recipes plzzzz I can't understand for some things
Craft drama says
Nice recipe I would try
Craft drama says
Nice recipe I would try
The Delicious Destination says
Looks very crispy..Will try it out this time !!
The kutti Ganesha idol & its base in the background are eye catchers too... 🙂
Unknown says
Looks yummy and great. Happy vinayakar chathurthi to u n family
Thilak saravanan says
Is it not possible to do rice flour. Will it break? .. But loved this, first time hearing /seeing such!!