Modak (मोदक, కుడుములు,കൊഴുകട്ടി)

Kudumulu (కుడుములు,:मोदक,കൊഴുകട്ടി)

Kudumulu is the typical Andhra name, which  is a festival sweet that is prepared on vinayaka chavathi .It is widely known as modak in Maharastra and allover North India  . It is prepared in different ways  with minor modifications, yet all the variations are tasty . Today we will do in three  different  fillings.

Regional Dish : Andhra;  Maharashtra; Kerala ; South India and North India.

Cuisine Style : Andhra | Cooking Time 40 minutes | Take as such  | Type Snack | Shelf Life : 1 day| Quantity: 4 servings.

Appx. Nutritional values : calculated for one serving ( 2 nos)

Calories (310 Kcal), Carbohydrates (20 g), Protein (1 g), Fat (2 g).
Ingredients  to serve :

For the outer covering (dough):

• 1 cup rice  flour ( freshly made is preferred)
• 2 cups water
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp of oil

For coconut filling:

• 1 cup grated fresh Coconut
• 1 cup grated Jaggery
• 1/2 tsp Elaichi powder (cardamom powder)

For sesame filling:

• 1/2 cup white Sesame seeds roasted
• 1/2 cup grated Jaggery

For groundnut filling:

• 1/2 cup roasted and skinned Groundnuts
• 1/2 cup grated jaggery

Method:

Making coconut stuffing:

• In a pan mix grated coconut and jaggery and cook it on a low-medium flame until the jaggery melts and coats the coconut and form a thick dry and sticky lumpy mixture.It takes 10-12 minutes and keep stirring it occasionally.
• Add cardamom powder to it and mix well and let the mixture cool completely.
• Once the mixture is cooled , shape them in to equal sized balls.

Making sesame stuffing:

• Dry roast sesame seeds over medium flame for 3-4 mins until they change the color and gives the aroma.
• Grind sesame seeds to a powder in the mixie and add grated jaggery to it and run it again to get a uniform mixture.

Making groundnut stuffing:

• Grind roasted and skinned groundnuts to a powder in the mixie
• Add grated jaggery to it and run it again to get a uniform mixture.

Making of outer covering (dough) and kudumulu:

• Boil 2 cups of water and add salt and oil to it .
• Now to this boiling water add rice flour and reduce the flame for 10 mins.Let it cook over the steam either by covering the vessel only half the portion with a lid or cook without lid.
• Now mix the dough vigorously until it is properly mixed , so that no lumps are formed, if you feel the dough is hard we can add some water.
•  Cover it with lid and let it come to the room temperature.
• Now grease your hands well and knead the dough in small portion until you get a smooth and lump free dough,this helps in making smooth and crack free kudumulu.

• Grease your hands if needed again and divide the dough into small lime sized balls.

• Now take a dough ball and shape it in to a disc with center hollow and stuff it with desired filling and cover it from all the sides and shape it in to balls , or can twist the edges to give a design (modak) .
•  Repeat the process and make all the kudumulu and steam them in cooker/steamer with out whistle for 8-10 minutes.

• Serve them warm with some ghee( clarified butter)

• Note
  (Rice flour Preparation at home: Wash the rice nicely and spread on a cloth and let it dry in shade completely.Grind it to a fine powder in a mixie and sieve the floor.You can use it immediately,if you want to store then spread the floor on the cloth for a day in shade and store it in air tight container.This stays fresh for 2-3 months.)

Variations:

1. You can use sugar instead of jaggery in all the three fillings,just replace grated jaggery with equal quantity of sugar in the recipe and follow the same procedure.
2. You can even use ghee roasted finely chopped cashew nuts in coconut filling,however it is optional.
3. You can also use poppy seeds ( kuskus)