Recipes for making different Modhaks or kozhakottai

Lord Ganesha is known for his fondness for food and the main sweet-dish during the festival is modhak and karanjis. This is known as modhagam [kozhakottai] in South India. A modhak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of coconut, jaggery and some other condiments. It can be either steam-cooked or fried and the coconut can be fresh/dry grated. A karanji is similar but has the shape of the 4th day moon. Modhak means "That which gives (or brings) happiness".

Sweet Kozhukkattai/ Sweet Modhak

Rice flour - 1 cup, water 1 cup
Heat water to boil. Pour 2 tsp sesame oil in it and add rice flour with constant stirring so that it becomes thick. Cover and keep aside for 1/2 hour. Then take even sized balls of this and shape it into a hollow hemisphere. Grease the hand with oil to get the shape.

Inner stuffing : Mix 1 cup grated coconut, 1 cup powdered jaggery, powdered cardomoms - 4 and leave for 5 min. Heat this mixture in low heat with constant stirring until it comes as a paste. At this time add a tsp of ghee and remove from the stove.

Take uniform balls of the stuffing and stuff in the hemisphere and close it by extending the covering flour. Place these in a plate and steam in a pressure cooker or a large vessel until fully cooked.

Salt Kozhukkattai/ Salt Modhak

Soak 100g urud dal for 1 hour. Add 3 green chillies, 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of asafoetida and grind it into a thick coarse paste. Place this on idli plates and steam. Remove and when it cools a little separate them gently.

Heat 4 tsp of oil in a fry pan, add mustard seeds. When it pops, add 6 tsp of grated coconut, cooked urud dal mix. Add a bunch of curry leaves.
Using this as stuffing, make kozhukkattais as described in kozhukkattai.

Sesame Kozhukkattai/ Sesame Modhak

Outer cover:
Rice flour - 1 cup, water 1 cup
Heat water to boil. Pour 2 tsp sesame oil in it and add rice flour with constant stirring so that it becomes thick. Cover and keep aside for 1/2 hour. Then take even sized balls of this and shape it into a hollow hemisphere. Grease the hand with sesame oil to get the shape
Stuffing: white seasame seeds - 1 cup , jaggery - 1/2 cup
Roast seasame seeds until it burns. when it cools powder it. Add grated jaggery and blend once.
Take uniform balls of the poornam and stuff the poornam in the hemisphere and close it by extending the covering flour. Place these in a plate and steam in a pressure cooker or a large vessel until fully cooked.

 

Kaara Kozhukkatai/ Hot Modhak

Outer cover:
Rice flour - 1 cup, water 1 cup
Heat water to boil. Pour 2 tsp sesame oil in it and add rice flour with constant stirring so that it becomes thick. Cover and keep aside for 1/2 hour. To this flour, add red chillie powder, salt and asafoetida and knead well. Make very small balls of this and steam it on a plate inside the idli cooker. In 1 tsp oil, add mustard seeds. When it bursts, add these ball and fry well.