Modak

A modak is a sweet dumpling popular in Western and Southern India. It is called modak in Marathi .Modaks have a special importance in the worship of the Hindu god Ganesh; modak is believed to be his favorite food, which begets him the moniker modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit. During the Ganesh worship ceremony, known in India as Ganesh Chaturthi the puja always concludes with an offering of twentyone modaks to the deity and as prasad

Ingredients:

For the modak :-----
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup water (as you required)
2 tsp oil
pinch of salt.

For the filling :------
2 tsp ghee
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup grated /powdered jaggery
1/4 tsp ealichi powder
1cup finely sliced dry fruits.

Method :------

Preparing the filling:
In a saucepan add  ghee, jaggery and the grated coconut, elaichi and dryfruits.
Continue stirring till the water from the mixture evaporates, till the mixture becomes quite dry.
Switch off the flame and keep the mixture covered and set it aside.

For the outer covering of the modak :---------

Take water in a kadhai and heat it. When the water comes to a boil, add salt and oil and switch off the flame.
Add the wheat flour (atta) to the water and keep stirring to ensure that no lumps are formed. As you keep stirring, after a while, you will get a dough which is neither too sticky nor too dry.
Now keep the dough in a covered vessel and wait for it to cool down.
Transfer the dough onto a flat surface.
Grease your hands with oil/ghee and knead the dough to make it more softer.It is best to make modaks when the dough is slightly warm.
Divide the dough into small, equal portions and roll each portion into a palm sized,thin puris.
Put 1 tsp of the filling in the centre of the rolled out circles (puris)
Apply oil on the outer edge of the circle (puri) and fold/pleat on all sides.
Bring the folds/pleats together on top and seal it to form a peak.
The completed modak looks like a whole garlic pod.
Place the modaks on a greased plate without touching each other.
Steam it for 15 minutes.
Serve the modaks hot with a drizzle of ghee.
Tip :------ 1.If the filling remains, and for the instant modak.You can just knead the dough and with water,salt and oil and make a puris and do it as above.
2.Deep fry modak also taste yummy.
3.Just add 3tsp khova, and you will get a different taste.
4.You can add sugar instead of jaggery.