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Modak is a sweet dumpling from Maharashtra, India, served during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. It contains coconut, jaggery, and sometimes butter, and can also include raisins, cashews, or spices. The filling is placed in a rice flour dough and boiled or fried. It is offered as a favorite food of the god Ganesh during the festival.
A modak is a kind of sweet dumpling. It originates in India, from the state of Maharashtra. It is served during Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival dedicated to the god Ganesh. The main ingredients in a modak dumpling usually include coconut and jaggery, a type of sugar. Modaks are considered a vegetarian food, although not a vegan one, as they often contain butter.
Cooking a modak begins with the filling of fresh coconut and jaggery, brown sugar which was developed in India. It is a concentrated form of sugar cane liquid, containing both molasses and hard crystals. To add it to the dish, the jaggery will need to be shaved from a large, stiff block.
While these are usually the two main ingredients in this dessert, the filling can contain other components as well. Some examples include raisins, chopped cashews, or ghee. You can also add spices like cardamom. Some modaks are also mostly filled with cucumbers, fruit or moong dal, a kind of bean.
After the filling is created, it is then placed into a circle of dough made from rice flour. The sides of the dough are gathered into a point, which gives the modak dumpling its distinctive decorative shape. They look a bit like tightly closed flower buds.
Modaks can be cooked in two different ways. Sometimes they are fried, while other times they are boiled in hot water. The boiled version is often eaten hot with ghee, a type of clarified butter, spread on top of it. The steamed version is meant to be eaten immediately, while the fried dumplings can be kept for a few days. When cooked properly, modaks should be very delicate and tender.
The Indian god Ganesh is associated with new beginnings and intellectual pursuits. He is easily recognizable by his elephant head and big belly and is said to love sweets. Modak dumplings are said to be a particular favorite of him, and some icons show him with a plate of the treat nearby.
During Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival dedicated to this god, modak will be set in front of icons of Ganesh as an offering. Typically, 21 to 108 modaks will be offered by a single family or group. Without modak dumplings, the ceremonies around the care of the icon during the ten-day festival are not considered complete.
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