Maharashtrian Modak recipe popularly known as Ukadiche modak in Marathi was in my try list for long time. Last year during Ganesh chaturthi I tried this modak along with fried modak recipe. But the modak shape was not satisfactory. I posted fried modak with wheat flour but skipped posting this steamed modak recipe. So this year I was determined to make ukdiche modak recipe and prepared it successfully after 2 attempts.
I watched a Maharashtrian modak video in YouTube which helped me lot to solve all my doubts and to make a good modak recipe after my flop shows. To make soft modak, dough should be kneaded smooth without cracks. I have used little milk as per the video recipe. So milk helped to keep this modak soft.
Unlike South Indian kozhukattai recipe, this modak dough is prepared in a slightly different procedure. Water quantity used is very less here. But the coconut stuffing part is almost the same like thengai pooranam we prepare in Tamil nadu.
Apart from shaping the modak, I din’t feel anything difficult in this recipe. Modak pleats are not perfect but I am happy that I could make a decent ones. Due to lack of time, I couldn’t capture a video. Next year I will surely make a video for better understanding. Ok, lets see how to make Modak recipe in step by step with picture.
To make modak, firstly prepare the coconut stuffing part.
Heat coconut and jaggery. Mix till it leaves the sides of pan.
Add cardamom powder, chopped nuts. Mix and set to cool.
For modak dough, heat water adding ghee and milk in a wide kadai.
When it roll boils, add rice flour. Switch off the flame and mix well.
Cover the kadai with a lid and rest for 10 minutes. Knead it well by dipping hands in water.
Make smooth dough and cover with wet cloth.
Shape the modak and fill the coconut stuffing. Seal it.
Arrange all the modak in greased idli plate and steam it for 10 minutes.
Switch off the flame. Remove the modak when warm. Enjoy !
MODAK RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
For modak recipe, firstly make the coconut jaggery stuffing part. In a kadai, take the grated coconut and powdered jaggery. Mix well in medium flame till jaggery melts and mixes with coconut.
Keep mixing in medium flame till the stuffing starts to leave the sides of pan. Check if you are able to roll a non-sticky, soft ball. Switch off the flame and let it cool. It will become crumbly once it cools down completely.
In a kadai, heat 1 cup of water adding 1 tsp ghee and 2 tbsp milk. Let it come to a roll boil. Simmer the flame completely. Add rice flour, mix well to coat the rice flour with water. Do it quickly.
Switch off the flame and cover the kadai with a lid. Rest for 10 minutes. Transfer the modak mixture to a plate. Keep a bowl with water for dipping the water.
Dip your hands in water and gather the dough in the plate. Make a smooth, non-sticky dough. Knead well for 5 minutes. Dip your hands in water whenever needed while kneading the dough.
Now cover the dough with a wet cloth. In a small bowl, take little water with few drops of oil. Use this water to dip your fingers while shaping the modak. Now start to make shapes. For this, take a lemon sized ball. Press it using your fingers to make a cup shape. Dip your fingers in water whenever its sticky or difficult to press. Make sure the corners of the cup is thin.
Press it with your finger and make pleats in equal intervals. Place 1 tbsp of stuffing inside the cup. Hold the top of modak with your fingers and keep rotating it gently to bring all the pleats together. Once the stuffing is completely covered, seal the top of modak and make a coconut shape. Dip the bottom of modak slightly in water+oil and arrange the modak in a plate or box. It helps to prevent sticking to the plate. Cover it to prevent drying. Make all the modak and arrange it.
You can also make a half moon shape as shown in the above pictures.
Heat water in a idli pot and let it come to a roll boil. Grease idli plate with oil and arrange the modak. After the water starts to roll boil, keep the idli plate with modak.
Cook in high flame for 6 to 8 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the modak becomes warm. Then remove in a plate. Offer to Lord. Enjoy !
Note
Do not overcook the coconut, jaggery mixture. It will become hard and chewy.
Do not add more water.Ratio of rice flour and water should be 1:1. Milk is added to bring softness and to make white colored modak.
Always make the coconut stuffing first. Then make the dough.
After making the dough, start to shape the modak immediately.Do not rest the dough for long time.
Always cover the dough with a wet cloth while shaping the kozhukattai/ modak.
Similarly keep the shaped modak covered till you steam it.
Do not steam for long time. Modak may crack. Steam cook only for 6 to 8 minutes after the water in the idli pot roll boils.
Try this yummy North Indian style Ukadiche modak and enjoy !
Every year on Ganesh Chaturthi festival, we make chana dal sweet poornam kozhukattai / kadalai paruppu poorana kozhukattai for neivedyam. Basically sweet kozhukattai can be prepared by stuffing kozhukattai with chana dal pooranam, moong dal poornam or with coconut/ thengai pooranam. But we all love Kadalai paruppu purana kozhukattai more than other stuffing.
As this pooranam can be refrigerated and used up to 2 weeks, I make it in large quantity and use the same for making sweet poli/ obbattu, suzhiyan and sweet paratha.
To make soft poorna kozhukattai, there are certain points to remember. I have shared all the points as tips in the end of this post. Do read them before you start making this kozhukattai. Also check out the detailed video on how to make chana dal sweet pooranam, making kozhukattai maavu using idiyappam flour and shaping modagam with and without kolukattai mould. Lets see how to make chana dal sweet pooranam kozhukattai with step by step pictures and video.
Chana dal pooranam kozhukattai / Kadalai paruppu poorana kozhukattai recipe
Chana dal pooranam kozhukattai / Kadalai paruppu poorana kozhukattai recipe - Sweet kozhukattai for Ganesh chaturthi
Take the chana dal / Kadalai paruppu in a pressure cooker.
Add water, few drops of cooking oil. Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles.
Drain the excess water. Mash or grind the dal.
Melt jaggery in water. Strain the syrup. Boil and add the dal paste, grated coconut, cardamom.
Mix till thick. Transfer the pooranam to a box. Cool down and then make balls.
To make kozhukattai dough, boil water adding salt and cooking oil. Add to idiyappam flour.
Make soft, smooth dough without cracks. Cover with a wet cloth till use.
Make modagam shape by stuffing the chana dal pooranam. Steam it for 8 minutes.
Remove when warm. Offer to Lord Ganesh and Enjoy !
KADALAI PARUPPU POORANAM – STEP BY STEP PICTURES.
Pressure cook chana dal by adding the required water and a drop of oil. Drain the water. Grind without water or mash it well to make a paste without adding water and set aside.
In a bowl, take the powdered jaggery and add little water to cover it.When its melted , strain to remove impurities OR if the jaggery is pure, add it directly to the mashed dal along with grated coconut.
If using syrup, strain it. Wash the kadai and add the syrup, grated coconut and cooked dal, cardamom powder( please do not add water, the coconut itself leaves water which will be enough.)
Mix well until the mixture leaves the sides and becomes a thick whole mass. ( Do not add water while adding the dal paste because the lesser you add the water , sooner the pooranam will start to leave the sides and becomes thick.. Stuffing will be ready)
Make small balls out of the stuffing and keep ready.
The unused stuffing can be refrigerated and used for 10 to 15 days.
TO MAKE SWEET POORANAM KOZHUKATTAI
I used a ready made kozhukattai mould to make a good shape.
U can also try the shape which is shown in the video to make mothagam/ coconut shape.
in the pictures below, I’ve explained using kozhukattai mould. Take the mould, open it and grease it with gingely oil. Take a small ball from the Kozhukattai dough and keep it inside the mould. Just spread it all the sides till 3/4 of the mould by keeping the center empty. Now close the mould and press it with ur left hand fingers.
Now place the dal pooranam in the center.Take a small berry sized ball and place it on the top of the dal pooranam and seal it well.
Now open the mould , u’ll get a nicely shaped kozhukattai.
Follow the same for the remaining. Grease an idli plate with oil. Arrange the kozhukattai.
Boil water in an idli pot.. Keep the idli plate and steam it for 8 to 10 minutes. Cooked kozhukattai looks shiny. Switch off the flame and eemove the kozhukattai from idli plate after it becomes warm. If you try to remove it hot, kozhukattai may break.
TIPS TO MAKE SOFT KOZHUKATTAI
The same pooranam can be done using coconut alone. For that channa dal is not needed. Just make the jaggery syrup , add the grated coconut , cardamom powder & mix till it leaves the sides.
Remove & stuff it using the above said procedure.
For thengai pooranam , jaggery can be less.ie 1:1 would be enough.
To make soft kozhukattai, always use good quality idiyappam flour. Homemade processed rice flour gives the best result.
Add the right quantity of hot water to make the kozhukattai dough. If the water is less, kozhukattai may break while shaping and tastes hard and chewy.
If the water is more, dough becomes too sticky. Shaping would be difficult and kozhukattai will break after cooking.
Always make the stuffing part / Pooranam first. Do not make kozhukattai dough in advance. Make it just before making kozhukattai else dough will dry and gives hard kozhukattai.
Make the kozhukattai maavu smooth without cracks. Do not add more water and make it sticky. If the dough is sticky, grease with oil and knead for 5 minutes.
Before steaming the kozhukattai, make sure water in the idli pot is roll boiling. It helps to cook the kozhukattai soon and keeps it soft.
Do not remove the kozhukattai from the idli plate when it is hot. Remove after kozhukattai becomes warm. It will come out easily without cracks else kozhukattai may break.
In Tamilnadu, people make Sakkarai pongal and kondakadalai sundal for Varalakshmi pooja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Tamil new year and Navarathri festival. We make this sundal with white chana or brown chana. My MIL usually says it is auspicious to make black chana sundal( i.e Kala chana in Hindi, Black chickpeas sundal in English, Karuppu Konda kadalai sundal in Tamil) during festival days. Yesterday I prepared Sakkarai pongal and brown chana sundal for Varalakshmi vratham prasadam. Usually I make sundal in a simple way by grinding coconut, chilli and cumin seeds. I don’t ad any masala powder or fennel seeds if making for God. Some people also make this sundal by adding sundal podi. I will try post that version later during Navratri. Today lets see an easy method of making brown kondakadalai sundal recipe with step by step pictures.
Wash and soak black chana / kondakadalai overnight or for 6 hours.
In a pressure cooker, cook the channa till soft adding required water and a pinch of soda.
Drain the excess water and set aside.
Grind coconut, chilli and cumin seeds without water. Set aside.
In a kadai, heat oil. Temper mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves and hing.
Add the cooked brown chana and salt. Mix well.
Add the ground coconut and saute for few minutes.
Switch off the flame. You can add some lemon juice if you like.
Serve hot and enjoy !
KONDAKADALAI SUNDAL - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and soak black chana / kondakadalai in enough water for 6 hours to overnight. You can a pinch of cooking soda while soaking for when pressure cooking the chickpeas.
After soaking drain the water, take the chickpeas in pressure cooker. Add required water and pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles. Remove the chickpeas and drain the cooked water.
Grind coconut, green chilli and cumin seeds to a coarse paste without adding water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilli and hing. Add cooked chana, ground coconut mixture and required salt. Mix well and cook for few minutes in medium flame.
Switch off the flame. Add few drops of lemon juice if you like. Serve hot or warm.
Enjoy !
Note
You can add baking soda to cook the chickpeas really soft. You can skip if you don’t want to use it.
For variations, you can saute 2 red chilli or green chilli and add the grated coconut at the end. This is a No grind version.
If you want masala flavor, you can grind fennel seeds instead of cumin seeds.
You can also add a pinch of garam masala powder for more masala flavor.
You can also add onion if you are not offering to God.
Try this easy, healthy black chana sundal and enjoy !
Medu vada / urad dal vada i.e Minapa garelu in Telugu is a popular breakfast and teatime snack recipe all over India. As Varalakshmi viratham is fast approaching, I thought of sharing this Andhra style garelu which is a must to do recipe for Varalakshmi pooja prasad/ neivedyam. My neighbors from Andhra taught me how to make this easy, perfectly crispy minapa vada batter in mixie. I also referred my mixie vada recipe and Mrudula’s cookbook Youtube video for more tips and tricks to make crispy, spongy vada just like hotel ones. Basically urad dal vada is prepared by adding onions But if we are making for festival and pooja, we should prepare vada without onion. In that case, you can make plain vada or with pepper.
In Andhra, people make it plain without any toppings for Varalakshmi pooja. So I have shared the same in pictures. I have also shared an easy method for shaping vada for beginners. Please refer the video for more details. As we are grinding the vada batter in mixie, there are certain points to remember to make it perfect. I have listed the tips and tricks below. Please go through the points before you start with this recipe. For grinding more quantity, grind the batter using grinder. Mixie works for small quantity. Ok, Lets see how to make medu vada in mixie with step by step pictures and video.
1.Refrigerate the dal while soaking. Soak for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Use ice cold water(dal soaked water) for grinding.
3.Do not add salt while grinding dal.
4.Beat the batter after adding rice flour.
5.Batter should be fluffy and smooth.
6.Refrigerate the batter till use.
7.Add salt and toppings (onion, pepper) only before frying vada.
8.Always grease your hands in water for shaping vada.
Minapa Garelu Recipe - Crispy Medu Vada Batter in Mixie
Learn how to make Andhra style minapa garelu recipe / Urad dal vada with step by step pictures.
Ice water - as needed ( I used around 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
Green chilli - 1
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Rice flour - 1 to 1.5 tsp (Completely optional)
To add in vada batter
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Curry leaves - Few (-do-)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (-do-)
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Hing / Asafetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Cooking oil - to deep fry vada
HOW TO MAKE GARELU
Wash and soak urad dal in required water for 4 hours in refrigerator.
Grind to a coarse paste adding green chilli, ginger, soaked urad dal without adding water.
Wipe the sides. Add 1/4 cup ice water. Grind to smooth paste.
Add more water gradually to make a fine, smooth paste.
Transfer the vada batter to a vessel. Add rice flour if needed and beat the batter well for 5 minutes.
Then add the toppings like onion and other ingredients. Add salt, hing. Mix well and shape vada.
Heat oil and deep fry vada by cooking both sides. Remove and serve hot with coconut chutney as side dish !
GARELU RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and soak urad dal in required water in refrigerator for 4 hours. If not 4 hours, keep the dal inside the refrigerator atleast for an hour. You can also soak the dal without refrigeration and use ice water only for grinding. Ice water helps to prevent mixie jar getting heated.
In a big mixer jar, take the soaked urad dal by draining all the water completely. Reserve the soaked ice water in a bowl. Add ginger and green chilli. DO NOT ADD SALT. Grind to a coarse paste without adding water. Wipe the sides of jar and grind it well.
Add 1/4 cup of ice water and grind to paste. Wipe the sides and mix well. Add little more water in few tbsp and grind to a smooth buttery paste without any grits. Do not add more water while grinding. Its the most important point to make perfect vada batter.
Vada batter should be thick. It should form a stiff peak when you drop the batter. It is the right consistency. Transfer the batter to a vessel.
Add rice flour if necessary and beat the batter for 5 minutes using a whisk. DO NOT USE YOUR HANDS FOR BEATING THE BATTER. Batter may become watery due to the heat of your hands. Vada batter become fluffy and light.
Take some water in a bowl. Add a small piece of Vada batter and check if it floats on top of water. If the batter settles down, you should grind it more or beat more.
Add some water to the mixie jar. Grind to wash the jar. Transfer the washed water to a small bowl and use it for greasing your hands while shaping vada.
After beating the batter, add salt, hing, cumin seeds, Pepper corns (optional) and prepare vada if making for pooja. If you are making for breakfast or snack, add finely chopped onion, curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds and pepper corns (optional). Add required salt and hing. Mix well and set aside.
Heat oil to deep fry. Drop a pinch of batter to check the heat of oil. To shape vada, take a dosa flipper and grease it with water. Grease your hands with water and take some batter. Keep it on the dosa flipper. Make a hole in the center. Invert the ladle and drop the vada in hot oil. Shake the dosa flipper slightly for the vada to drop in oil Or dip the ladle slightly in oil so that vada releases to the oil as soon as it starts to cook.
For method 2 to shape vada : Grease hands with water and take a small portion of batter. Make a hole the center and shape the vada, Drop in hot oil to deep fry.
Flip and cook both sides in medium flame till bubbles cease. Remove the vada and serve.
You can enjoy this crispy, hot vada with coconut chutney, sambar or make curd vada and enjoy !
Enjoy !
Note
Do not add salt while grinding the batter.
Beat the batter till fluffy after adding rice flour.
Deep fry in medium flame for even cooking.
Please check the beginning of this post for more tips and tricks.
Try this medu vada recipe easily in mixie and enjoy the festival !
Aadi kummayam also known as Aadi koozh / aadi kool is a Chettinad special healthy sweet dish that is served in Chettinad marriage functions and other important occasions. Aadi kummayam is prepared with homemade kummayam powder that is prepared using urad dal, moong dal and raw rice. Palm sugar / Karupatti is used to sweeten the kummayam. But some people use jaggery as well. Usually kummayam is given to the young girls who attain their puberty to strengthen the bones. It is served by mixing with sesame oil/ Gingely oil. When I heard about this Kummayam recipe from my friends, I felt it is very similar to my Tirunelveli style ulundhu kali. This year for Aadi special, I wanted to try and share this kummayam recipe in my blog. But I was not sure of the authentic kummayam powder recipe because I found so many recipes with variations in the quantity of ingredients. It was so confusing for me. When I told this to my friend Shalini, she introduced Viji akka who is basically from Karaikudi, Chettinad. When I spoke to her over phone, she shared most of the traditional Chettinad special recipes like Kandarappam, Vellai paniyaram, seepu seedai and Aadi kummayam with proper measurements and details. How sweet ! She also referred few YouTube channels and websites to learn authentic Chettinad recipes.
Coming to this aadi kummayam recipe, Viji akka told her mom makes kummayam powder in large quantities grinding in flour mill and store it for months. But I made a small batch based on her measures. I also watched Seethai aachi’s kitchen YouTube video for more reference. Though its my first attempt, I felt its so easy to prepare. It came out so tasty too ! Above all, we had a satisfaction of having a very healthy sweet. Lets see how to make Chettinad special aadi kummayam recipe with step by step pictures.
Gingely oil – 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup (Add while serving)
HOW TO MAKE AADI KUMMAYAM
To make kummayam powder, dry roast urad dal, moong dal and raw rice separately.
Cool and grind to a smooth powder. Sieve and store in a box.
To make Aadi kummayam, take 1/2 cup of kummayam powder in a bowl.
Add water and mix without lumps.
Melt palm sugar adding 1/4 cup water. Strain and add to the kummayam mixture.
Transfer to a kadai and keep stirring till it becomes thick. Add ghee and stir till non-sticky.
Remove and serve it by mixing with gingely oil.
AADI KUMMAYAM RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
KUMMAYAM POWDER : In a kadai, dry roast urad dal till golden in color. Transfer to a plate.
In the same hot kadai, dry roast moong dal till golden color with a nice aroma. Transfer it to urad dal plate. Similarly dry roast rice till puffy. Keep it in the same plate along with dals. Let everything cool down.
Grind to a smooth powder. Sieve it. Discard the coarse residue. Store the kummayam powder in an air tight box.
AADI KUMMAYAM PREPARATION: To make Aadi kummayam, take 1/2 cup of homemade kummayam powder in a deep bowl. Add 1.5 cups of water. Mix without lumps and set aside. Alternatively you can roast the kummayam powder in 2 tsp ghee till nice aroma wafts through. Cool down and then mix with water to dilute it.
In another bowl, take 1/2 cup of broken palm jaggery or jaggery. Add 1/4 cup of water to it. Boil and melt it. Strain the syrup using a wire mesh.
Add this syrup to the diluted kummayam powder. Transfer this mixture to a non stick kadai. Mix in medium flame till thick. Add 1/2 tbsp ghee at regular intervals. Mix till the mixture comes together. Total time takes 15 to 20 minutes to reach final stage.
Kummayam will become non-sticky. Wet your fingers slightly and touch the kummayam to check if its non-sticky. Serve hot mixing with gingely oil / sesame oil. Enjoy it as evening snack !
Note
For variations, you can add less moong dal and raw rice than the mentioned quantity. ie. around 2 tbsp.
Adjust the quantity of jaggery based on your taste. Palm sugar / karupatti tastes less sweet than jaggery. So you can add more if you need. Traditionally the ratio of kummayam powder and palm sugar/jaggery is 1:1.
Cardamom powder is not necessary.
Some people roast the kummayam powder in a tsp of ghee before mixing with water. But I din’t roast it. Its an optional step.
Color of aadi kummayam varies as per the jaggery and palm sugar. Pictures shows the one with jaggery. But in the step by step pictures, I used palm sugar. So it looks dark in color.
Try this super healthy, Chettinad special aadi kummayam at home and reap its health benefits !
I added some gingely oil while serving !
