Purnache Modak

Modak is a sweet offered to Lord Ganesh. It is a dumpling made from whole wheat flour covering, stuffed with cooked split bengal gram, coconut and jaggery mixture (puran) or just coconut and jaggery mixture (chun). The covering is made from rice flour also sometimes, filled with chun and are steamed. The ones made with wheat flour are mostly deep fried. 

Here goes the recipe for Purnache Modak, which are offered to Lord Ganesh on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi in Goa.

Measurement: 1cup= 180 ml
Makes: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1. Filling 
2. Covering
3. Oil for deep frying
4. Wheat flour for dusting

For the Filling:

1. Chana dal (split bengal gram) - 1/2 cup
2. Jaggery (grated) - 1/2 cup
3. Coconut (scrapped) - 1/4 cup
4. Cardamom powder - a pinch
5. Salt - a pinch

For the Covering:

1. Wheat flour - 1 1/4 cup
2. Water - 1/2 cup
3. Oil - 1 tsp
4. Salt to taste 1/3 tsp approx

Procedure:

• Wash and soak dal for at least an hour.
• Pressure cook with sufficient water till 8 whistles or till done. (it should be almost over - cooked and excessive water can be used to make saar (curry))
• Combine cooked dal and jaggery in a thick bottomed pan and cook till jaggery gets dissolved. Mixture should get dried.
• Add coconut, salt and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Let it cool.
• Now, prepare the dough for the covering. Take water in a mixing bowl, add salt and wheat flour. Start kneading.
• Add oil while kneading. Rest it for 10 min to 15 min.
• Divide the dough into 8 to 10 balls of equal size.
• Divide the filling mixture into 8 to 10 balls of equal size.
• Dust the dough ball with wheat flour and roll into a circle of 2 1/2" to 3".
• Place the stuffing ball at the centre. 

• Start folding the edge. 

• Pinch the top.

• Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the modaks on low to medium flame.
• Ready to serve.

Tip:

• Same filling mixture is used for making nevari / karanji /gujiya.
• If you want to prepare with coconut jaggery mixture (chun), then you may have look at the recipe for Patoli.