Kache Papaye Che Modak

Ganapati Bappa Morya.

Wish you all a happy Ganesh Chaturthi. 

Modaks have a special significance during Ganesh festival,  as it is believed to be the favourite food of Lord Ganesha, due to which he is called Moniker Modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit.  Originally in some parts of Indian Modaks are made with rice flour and jaggary coconut stuffing  which are steamed. There are fried Modaks too. Now a days there are different varieties of Modaks available like Mava, Chocolate, Cake, Dry fruit Modak etc.

Today I have made raw papaya Modak for Ganesha... 

A recipe with love from my Kitchen. 

Ingredients 

1 cup Raw Papaya cut into cubes 

100 grams Khoya

1/2 cup Cashew / Almond powder

3 tbsp Hot Milk

2 pinches of Saffron 

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder 

Pinch of Salt

1/2 cup Sugar 

2 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Take a pot. 

Add 2 cups of water and papaya cubes into the pot. 

Simmer it for 2 minutes. 

Drain the water out. 

Add saffron into the hot milk and keep it aside. 

Blend the papayas in a blender into a paste. 

Add a tbsp of ghee into a pan or a pot. 

Add the papaya paste, stir it on a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add the cashew or almond powder. Continue to stir occasionally. 

Add salt, cardamom powder and khoya. Keep stirring on low flame till the khoya incorporates well with the other ingredients. 

Add the saffron milk and sugar. 

Stir and cook the mixture on a low flame until it starts to form a dough. 

To check, take a small portion and roll it. It should form into a ball. 

Switch off the flame.

Let it cool a bit.

Take a modak mould.

Apply ghee into the mould. 

Take a big lime size portion.

Place it into the mould to give it a shape.

Repeat the same process to make the other modaks.

Take few strand of saffron to garnish the modaks.

Fried Modak Stuffed with Bottle Gourd and Mava stuffing.......

Modaks have a special significance during Ganesh festival,  as it is believed to be the favourite food Lord Ganesha, due to which he is called moniker modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit. During Ganesh Chathurthi the deity is offered with Modak and distributed as Prasad..  Modaks are made with rice flour and jaggary coconut stuffing  which are steamed.  Innovative recipes for modaks have also been created like chocolate modak, motichoor modak, cake modak....

Fried Modak Stuffed with Bottle Gourd  and Mava stuffing.......
For the Stuffing
Ingredients
3 cups  Bottle gourd grated along with the skin
1/2 cup Mava
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Condensed milk
5 tbsp or More Sugar according to the sweetness required
1/4 tsp Cardomon powder
Pinch of Salt
1 tbsp Almond flakes
1 tbsp Raisin
1 tbsp Broken Cashew nuts
1 tbsp Ghee

Method
Take a wok. Add grated bottle gourd, cover and cook till the juices of the bottle gourd reduces. Mean while in another pot mix 1/4 cup Mava , milk, condensed milk, sugar and salt. Let it boil and then let it simmer on low flame for 5 minutes. Add the bottle gourd in the milk. On a low flame cook the bottle gourd stirring it occasionally till the bottle gourd has incoperated well with the other ingredients. Add raisins, broken cashew nuts, Almond flakes, Cardomon powder, remaining Mava and ghee. Cook for another 10 minutes. Keep it aside.

For the dough
2 cups All purpose flour OR 1 cup APF and 1 cup Whole wheat
1 tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste

Method
Mix flour and salt. Add ghee and mix the flour well. Add water as required and knead the flour to get a semi soft dough. Keep it covered for 15 minutes.

For the Modak
Dough
Stuffing
Oil for frying

Method
Make equal portion of the dough. Take a portion of the dough and roll it into a 2 inch circle. Add one spoon of the stuffing. With the help of the fingers curl up the edges of the dough. Gently get the edges together and close the edges. Take oil for frying in a wok. Heat the oil. Fry the modaks till brown in colour from all the sides.