Gajanan Sthavila Me Namila with Talele Modaks

Hi Friends!

Hope the Ganpati Festival is swinging for you. It has been good for me so far.

This year for the first day of Ganpati I made Talele Modak. Talele Modak is a rare thing in my Koli community. For us it is always Undre. I might have made these Talele Modak before may be a couple of times but since it was not posted on the blog, here I am sharing it. I really liked how they are much easier to shape than Undre as the cover is made with whole wheat flour which lends it self well for the shaping. 

Ingredients

For the filling

1 coconut grated

1/2 cup jaggery

1 tablespoon ghee

1/8 cup nuts and raisins

1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder

For the cover

2 cups whole wheat flour / atta

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil
1/4 spoon salt

First lets make the filling. Heat a deep pan add the ghee. Combine the grated coconut and jaggery and add to the pan. Keep mixing till you get a semi solid ball. Mix in the nuts and raisins and the cardamom powder. This filling is called Chauri in Koli. Our Kolis like their Chauri sweeter but this proportion is what we prefer at home. Divide into 21 equal portions. As this makes 21 modaks the auspicious number for naivedya. Keep aside.

Now knead the dough in a food processor. Add the atta or whole wheat flour and salt, run the FP adding the water slowly. The dough should be tight like for puri. It is slightly harder than we make for regular chapatis.

  

Now pinch off some dough and divide into 21 portions. Then make a ball and with your thumb press in the center and shape it like a basket. Fill a spoonful of Chauri in it. Next step, we need to pinch the edges to form petals around the stuffing. Make 11 petals. Then pull the pinched petal edges of the basket together to peak it.

In my home since this is Naivedya or offering for the Lord we chant this name "Ganpati Bappa Morya" as we do each petal for the modak. We always make 11 petals for each Modak and an offering of 21 Modaks as its is considered auspicious. 

Place all the Modaks on a greased pan. Wet a towel and wring it to remove excess water. Cover the modaks with moist towel to prevent drying up till you fry up all the modaks.

Once done heat oil in a wok. Turn down the heat to medium. Fry 5-6 modaks at a time in the wok so u have enough space to swish them around for a even golden color. 

Sometimes the coconut and jaggery syrup leaks out and starts charing the modaks at such a time just put off the heat and skim of the charred material with a tea sieve. Then restart frying this will save the Modaks from getting speckled with charred particles, which look very unappetizing.

Remove the fried modaks on a sieve, let the oil drain off then space them out in a plate to cool. Serve once cooled. Don't bite into the fried Modak, hot jaggery can scald the tongue. 

It's made for the Ganpati Bappa so offer the Naivedya to him first and then partake it as prasad. Share the prasad with friends.

Enjoy the celebrations till Ananth Chaturdashi while the Lord is still our guest!

Yes Ganpati Bappa or Gajanan be praised and worshiped that is what the title suggests.We do and this is our Ganpati @ my Thal home.