I identify as a certified bed rotter, to the point that lethargy is my other name on weekends and holidays. So while fellow Gen Zs and millennials spend their off days engaging in hobbies, cooking or baking as therapy, I like to plop down on my bed like an amoeba and stay there until I absolutely have to move. There are very few things that can encourage me to get up; modaks are one of those. Not the fried kind, not the ones made with pedhas and mawas or tiramisu but the OG Maharashtrian, ukdiche modak. And so when my colleagues drew a blank while I raved about it, I was shook. How could they not know about this culinary icon? So I made it my mission to give them a little crash course.
For the uninitiated, ukdiche (meaning steamed) modaks are essentially steamed sweet dumplings. The outer layer is made from rice flour, while the stuffing is a mix of coconut, jaggery and dry fruits. You steam them, pour ghee on top and indulge. They originated in the coastal parts of Maharashtra, where rice and coconut were abundant, eventually spreading across the state as a delicacy. There’s also another variant, which is fried and made with wheat flour. The rice flour modaks are also made in other coastal parts of the country, called Koḻukattai in Tamil, and Kozhukkatta in Malayalam and Jilledukayalu in Telugu.
In Indian mythology, Ganpati has always been depicted with a modak (or laddoo) in his left hand. It’s believed that Parvati made a plateful of modaks for him since they were his favourite. Over time, as the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi spread across Maharashtra, modaks became inseparable from the festival. Traditionally, 11, 21, 51 or even 101 modaks are offered to Ganpati as prasad.
As Maharashtrians, modaks, a Ganesh Chaturthi staple, are intricately tied into the culinary and cultural fabric of our community. as Maharashtrians. Now, the kitchen and I aren’t exactly best friends. Don’t get me wrong, I can cook a complete meal that’s edible and even delicious, but I don’t enjoy it. However, every year since I was 10 or 12, I have diligently washed my hair, put on my best festive outfit and headed straight for the kitchen to help my mom and grandmother make modaks. It became a little ritual — the three of us sitting with the coconut and jaggery stuffing, the rice flour dough, and a side of gossip, shaping these incredible sweets that, to be honest, can beare a whole meal in themselves.
It was my grandmother who patiently taught me the art of making the perfect modak, rounded at the bottom, pointed at the top, not too big, not too small, and filled with just the right amount of stuffing. Year on year, I’ve competed with myself (and others!) to make the most artsy-looking modaks. Despite having a mould at home, the joy of making them by hand is unmatched. It’s the one kitchen task I voluntarily and happily take up do, sticky fingers, no fan, and all.
And while the mythology makes them sacred, for me, modaks are just as much about memory and emotion. Every fold of the dough takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen — the laughter, the chatter, the sense of community. Growing up in Gujarat, I didn’t have many Maharashtrian friends, so I couldn’t really share the joy of modaks with my peers. That changed when we moved back to Mumbai. Suddenly, Instagram stories filled with modaks made me feel part of something bigger..
As an adult, I’ve started sharing them with others, too. I almost always send a box to my ex-boss (a self-proclaimed modak lover who could eat them year-round), and I carry some to friends’ homes during Ganpati. It fills me with joy to proudly say, “I made these.”
Even now, no matter how hectic life gets, Ganesh Chaturthi feels incomplete without that ritual. The smell of roasted coconut and melting jaggery, the steam rising from the modak patra, and the first bite of that soft, sweet dumpling, steaming hot with ghee, is nostalgia, devotion, and comfort wrapped in rice flour.
Pedha modaks, chocolate modaks or even motichoor laddoos and kaju katli may come and go, but ukdiche modak are forever. They’re top tier sweets and I will never believe anyone who says otherwise.
Here’s my family recipe for ukdiche modak, in case you’d like to give it a try this Ganesh Chaturthi.
Family Modak Recipe:
Ingredients for the outer cover:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
I teaspoon ghee
1/4th teaspoon salt/ salt to taste
Ingredients for the filling:
2 cups fresh grated coconut
1 cup jaggery
1 teaspoon ghee
1 teaspoon cardamom powder or as per the taste
1 teaspoon nutmeg powder or as per the taste
Method
Prepare the dough
In a pan, bring 1 cup water to a boil with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp ghee.
Once the water boils, switch off the gas and add the rice flour. Mix well, cover with a lid, and let it rest until it cools down to a warm temperature.
Make the filling
In another pan, heat 1 tsp ghee for 2 minutes.
Add the grated coconut and sauté lightly. Then mix in the jaggery.
Cook on a medium-low flame, stirring continuously, until the jaggery melts and blends with the coconut.
Turn off the gas and let the mixture cool completely.
Knead and shape the modaks
Transfer the rice flour mixture to a plate and knead it into a smooth dough.
Take a small portion, roll it into a ball, and gently shape it into a small bowl using your thumb. The edges should be thin.
Fill it with the coconut-jaggery mixture, pinch the sides to form petals, and bring them together at the top to seal. Repeat for the rest of the dough.
Steam the modaks
In an idli steamer or pressure cooker, add water at the base.
Grease a sieve/steamer plate with ghee and arrange the modaks on it.
Cover with a lid and steam for 15–20 minutes.
Your soft, melt-in-the-mouth ukadiche modak are ready to eat.
