Kozhukkattai | Modakam | Modak

Lovingly as Ganesha is called "Modaka Priya" meaning a lover of Modakams , have you ever thought ,how this name stuck to him ? Well ,then read on to find out .... 

 Kozhukkattai or Modak are Lord Ganesha's favorite and we offer these incredibly delicious offering made from rice flour and jaggery on Ganesh Chaturthi and also during the monthly Sankashti Chaturthi.  

Kozhukkattai is also offered to Devi Varamahalaxmi during the Varalakshmi Viratham observed in the month of August. 

A small story ......

Baby Ganesha  used to love ladooos a lot and he would go on eating them but never felt satiated. Once Devi Parvati  was out of ladoos and that's when she  came up with this idea of stuffing coconut and jaggery in rice flour dumplings and serve it to Ganesha ,to see if his hunger is satisfied.  The moment Ganesha ate this Modakam,he developed an instant liking and also declared that he felt full after eating these Kozhukkattais. Hence , devi Parvati mentioned that any devotee who offers these kozhukattai or Modakams to Her son  Vinayaka they would be blessed abundantly and all their wishes would be fulfilled. 

 Isn't it a nice myth behind Modaka being an eternal favorite of Ganesha  and he being referred as Modaka Priya?

Since we spoke of ladoos also being Lord Vinayaka's favorite, panchakajjaya ladoo is a traditional prasadam from Udupi cuisine which is offered during the festive season . My friend Preethi has detailed the process of making these traditional panchakajjaya  ladoo seem like a child's play . 

Kozhukkattai or Kozhukkata ,as easy as it may sound ,the tricky part is making the outer cover from rice. Once we master the art of getting the dough right,then making the Kozhukkattai is a breeze .

 There are 3 main steps involved in making the Kozhukkattai 

• Preparing the rice flour dough for the outer covering. 
• Jaggery coconut mixture for stuffing in the modakam
• Steaming the prepared modakam.

I have been following this recipe of making kozhukkatai for last 4 or 5 years and it has never failed me . This recipe was taught to me by Bageerathy Aunty who gave me the confidence that making modakam is not as hard as it may seem . 

Do follow this recipe to the T and you won't fail at all . Initially there might be some hiccups when you shape the modakm ,but as it is said practice makes one perfect, if you take the lord's name and keep preparing 3 or 4 times you can easily master this wonderful art of making kozhukkatai. 

 

Soaking Time - 3 hrs 
Preparation Time - 45 mins
Steaming Time - 7 to 8 mins
Makes - 10 to 12 modaks

Ingredients 

For the outer cover 
1 cup rice 
2 cups water 
Pinch of salt 
1 tsp oil 

Pre Preparation for the Rice flour dough

Wash and soak the rice in sufficient water for  3 to 4 hrs .

For the stuffing 
1 cup fresh grated coconut 
3/4 cup powdered jaggery
1tsp cardamom powder /elaichi powder 

Method 

Jaggery Stuffing 

• Melt the powdered jaggery in 1/4 cup water. 
• Let it come to a rolling boil or until all the jaggery is dissolved .
• To this, add the grated coconut ,elaichi powder and mix it well .
•  Cook on slow flame until you get a nice glossy mixture .Turn off the stove and transfer this mixture to a plate and let it cool . 

Outer covering for Modakam

• Transfer the soaked rice to a blender with 2 cups of water and grind to a very fine paste. 
• The batter will be runny and that is how it has to be.  Incase you happen  to add extra water ,donot worry ,it can be handled while cooking the dough .
• Strain this rice flour batter through a strainer to remove any rice grits that may have remained while grinding .
• To the strained batter add a pinch of salt and oil and mix well.
• Heat a heavy bottomed fry pan or vessel and transfer this batter to it . Reduce the flame to medium.
• Go on stirring the batter and you will observe the batter begins to thicken and starts forming lumps.
• Keep stirring and breaking the lumps until all the batter is well cooked and it appears lumpy. 
• To see if the batter is cooked well ,touch with your fingers and the dough must not stick on the fingers.  If it sticks continue cooking for 1 more min. 
• Turn off the stove and close the dough with a lid . The dough will further get cooked on this heat
•  Once the dough is warm enough to handle ,transfer it to a large plate ,grease your palm with some ghee or oil and knead the dough for 5 to 6 mins until you get a soft ,crack free and smooth dough . 
• Pinch out a portion of the dough and you should be able to roll into a smooth ball without cracks . This is the right consistency of the dough . If you are getting cracks while rolling ,the sprinkle a little hot water and continue to knead further till you get the desired consistency.  
• Cover this with a damp cotton cloth until use.

Shaping the Modakam 

• Grease your palms and  pinch out a small lemon sized portion of the dough.  Roll it into a smooth ,crackfree ball.
• Make a dent in the center of the dough with your thumb .
• Starting from the center ,start flattening the dough towards the outer circumference till you get a nice base to put in the stuffing. 
• (This process is similar to how we roll and shape the wheat flour into a cup to stuff the filling for aloo paratha) 
• Take a spoonful of the stuffing and place it in the center and then bring in all the sides of the outer cover to the top shaping it like a cone . 
• If you are finding it difficult to shape it like a modak ,you can also shape it like a semi circle.  (Refer to the second image) 
• Continue this process for the entire set of dough and filling and keep the modaks ready .
• Prepare a steamer as we do for idlis and place these modaks inside the steamer and steam for 6 to 7 mins . You can see the jaggery syrup slightly oozing out and the outer cover will appear glossy . This is an indication that the modaks have been steamed to perfection. 
• Donot over steam as the outer cover will become hard. 
• Once the modaks have been steamed,let it cool down for a while before offering to the lord.

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