Lifestyle Desk – There is a tradition of offering Modak to Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Utsav. Many people feel like making modak at home, but many people do not have a mold for it. In such a situation, the idea of making modak often gets postponed. If you do not have a modak mold in your kitchen, then there is no need to worry. With a little trick and the right method, you can prepare beautiful and tasty modaks even without a mould. Let us know how.
Give traditional shape of modak with hands
The easiest way to make modak without a mold is to shape it with hands. For this, first prepare a soft and smooth dough of rice flour or flour as per the available recipe. The dough should neither be too hard nor too loose. After keeping it covered for a few minutes, make small balls. Now place one ball on your palm and press it from the middle with the help of thumb. Give it a bowl-like shape by rotating it slowly. Keep its edges a little thin, so that the modak layer can fold easily. After this, place the prepared filling of coconut and jaggery in the middle.
Make beautiful pleats with fingers
To give a traditional look to Modak, now the most important thing is to make its pleats i.e. small folds. For this, lift the dough slightly from the edge and fold it with your fingers and make about 8 to 10 pleats on the entire edge. Finally, bring all the pleats upwards and close them gently. Don't worry if the pleats are not uniform the first time. After a little practice it becomes easy to shape the modaks with hands. If desired, it can be given a traditional modak-like look by making the upper part slightly pointed.
A spoon or small bowl will also work
If you find it difficult to make pleats with your hands, then the help of a small bowl or spoon can be taken. Flatten the dough by rolling or pressing it lightly and place it over a small bowl. Fill the filling in it and close it from the top by gathering the edges with your fingers. After this, carefully take it out from the bowl.
Keep these things in mind for perfect modak
- While making the outer layer of modak, it is important to maintain the moisture balance in the dough. When the dough starts drying, cover it with a slightly wet cloth.
- If the filling is too wet then there may be difficulty in closing the modak. Similarly, while filling the filling, keep in mind the quantity, otherwise the outer layer of the modak may burst.
- Modaks made without molds may be slightly different in appearance, but their taste and traditional style remains intact if the correct technique is adopted. Therefore, on this Ganesh Utsav, even if you do not have a modak mold at home, you can still make delicious and beautiful modaks with the help of your hands and offer them to Lord Ganesha.
