Seven Must-Try Modaks Including Sesame, Sushi, Filter Coffee & Baklava

Lord Ganesha – the remover of obstacles, the cute pot-bellied icon whose arrival is awaited every year with enthusiasm by his devotees – is also a lover of sweets. During Ganesh Chaturthi, the elephant-headed God is offered modakams, his favourite bhog. Here are 7 unique offerings of sweet and savoury modaks by innovative devotees of Ganesha.

Sesame modak (sweet)

Sesame modak (sweet)

This is a steamed modak with sesame ladoos used as fillers in regular rice flour dough shells. The stuffing can be altered with motichoor or chana dal ladoos or mohanthal, suggests Pune-based food content creator, Mugdha Sawant. Her other specials include Gulkhand modak made of khoya and sweetened rose petals.

Sushi modak (savoury)

You will need nori sheets for this along with glutinous rice, vinegar, a pinch of salt and sugar for the outer covering. Rajma boiled and ground with typical Japanese sauces like Ponzu (A tangy citrus-based sauce, often made with soy sauce, yuzu, or other citrus fruits) is used as stuffing. According to Chef Bijender Rawat of Divine Resorts, you can vary and play with different flavours like matcha, yuzu, or sesame seeds. Prepared in a regular fashion, modak takes the shape of sushi, courtesy the Japanese twist.

Usili Kozhakattai (savoury)

Usili Kozhakattai

Along with the regular sweet purnam kozhakattai, Tamilian food expert Malini Balakrishnan offers this savoury naivedhyam made with coarsely ground urad dal, Madras red chillies, asafoetida with a tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves stuffed in rice flour casings. It is given an oblong shape and steamed.

Filter-kaapi inspired modak (savoury)

Prepare a mild coffee decoction in South-Indian style filter or brew coffee in a French press. Cook rice flour in this decoction for the outer shell, advises home-maker Revathy Krishnan. Fill in with cooked mung dal tempered with curry leaves, coconut shavings. Mould like a modak and steam. The outcome will be a subtle coffee-infused flavour in every bite.

Avalakki/aval/poha modak (sweet)

Avalakki/aval/poha modak

Karnataka-stemmed modak is the easiest with soaked poha cooked in jaggery syrup, finished with desi ghee. College lecturer Jyoti Hegde sprinkles cardamom powder and crushed cashew nuts to the poha-gur mix, shapes it into a big marble-sized modak and it is fit to be offered as bhog.

Rajbhog/Rossogola modak (sweet)

Rajbhog/rossogola modak

Follow the recipe of raj bhog or rossogolla, giving it the shape of a modak. Submerge it in sweetened and saffron-flavoured milk or chasni (sugar syrup), ideates Mumbai-settled Paromita Sen, who celebrates Ganesh festival with fervour without giving up on her Bengali roots.

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Baklava modak (sweet)

Trouble-free and quick recipe for working women. As the name suggests, it is rich with dry fruits and other condiments. Pistachios, walnuts, almonds are ground together for a grainy texture. Sapna Kelkar, a busy IT professional, integrates this mixture with a drizzle of lemon juice, substitutes honey for sugar syrup and rose water for orange blossom. She then stuffs small roundels into the mawa shell (no filo pastry here), shapes it like a modak and this no-cook prasad is ready for Bappa.