Are you excited about Ganesh Chaturthi 2024? Frankly, half my excitement lies with welcoming Ganpati Bappa and enjoying Ganesh pandals. But the other half sits beside a plate full of modaks. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been desperately waiting for a plate of modaks. As health and fitness overpower my love for sweets, I can’t have modaks without feeling guilty. So, as always, my healthy-foodie side took to Google instantly. Are you facing a similar horror? Well, keep your worries at bay with some nutritious modak recipes. Yes, you heard that right!

Do you want to have healthy modaks without compromising the taste and joy? Here are seven sugar-free, gluten-free and guilt-free modak recipes you must try.

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1. Oats Modak

Ingredients:

1 cup (200 gms) instant oats

½ cup jaggery

2 tbsp desi ghee

1-2 tbsp milk

1 modak mould

Method:

Roast the oats on a medium flame and wait till they turn slightly brown. Switch off the flame and let the oats cool at room temperature.

Transfer the roasted oats to a grinder jar, and add some cashews, almonds and pistachio. Grind the mixture, add jaggery and grind it again.

Once the mixture has perfectly blended, transfer it to a bowl. Add some more chopped dry fruits to the mixture. Use desi ghee to bind the elements together. You can add some milk if the mixture remains scattered.

Take some part of the mixture to make a round ball and stuff it inside the modak mould. Plate it, and serve.

2. Ragi Modak

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped almonds

⅔ cup of seedless dates (khajoor)

½ crushed or powdered cardamom

⅓ cup ragi flour

A modak mould

Method:

Add almonds to a pan and roast them for about 3-4 minutes until they turn brown. Keep the almonds aside to let them cool at room temperature.

Roast the ragi flour in a pan for around 6-8 minutes on low heat and keep stirring it till you get a nice aroma of the flour. Turn off the heat and let it cool for some time.

Put the roasted almonds in the blender and blend till it becomes a thick paste.

Add dates and cardamom to the paste and blend till everything is well combined. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the roasted ragi flour.

Use your hands to mix the ingredients. Once it’s well combined, start making the modak with the help of the mould.

Fill up the mould completely with the mixture and gently open it to take it out. The modaks are ready to serve.

3. Dry Fruit Modak

Ingredients:

¼ cup chopped almonds, walnuts, cashews, pista, and raisins each

½ cup chopped figs

1 and ¼ cup seedless dates

⅓ cup desiccated coconut

1 tbsp desi ghee

1 tsp cardamom

A modak mould

Method:

Heat the pan on low flame, and once it is hot, add the desiccated coconut. Roast the powder on a low flame till it turns slightly brown

Add 1 cup of almonds, cashews, walnuts and pista together. Roast them for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let them cool at room temperature.

Heat the pan on medium flame and add desi ghee. Once the ghee starts to heat up, add chopped raisins and figs. Roast and stir them for 4-5 minutes till they bind together.

Add the roasted nuts and desiccated coconut. Stir well for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool completely.

Once cooled, transfer the mixture to a grinder and blend it until it gets slightly coarse. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the remaining dry fruit mix and cardamom.

Mix well until combined properly. Fill the modak mould with the mixture. Gently open it to take out the modak and serve.

4. Multi-Millets Modak

Ingredients:

1 cup multi-millet flour

4 tbsp desi ghee

¼ cup finely chopped almonds

½ cup jaggery

A modak mould

Method: 

Heat the pan on medium flame and add the multi-millet flour to it. Add desi ghee and mix it. Roast the mixture until slightly brown and fragrant.

Add chopped almonds to the mixture and roast it on low heat. Once the mixture gets completely roasted, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool.

Add desi ghee to a pan. Once it starts to heat up, add jaggery and stir it. Turn off the flame once you get a fine syrup texture.

Mix the roasted flour and jaggery syrup till they are completely combined.

Fill the mould with the mixture and gently open it to take it out. The modaks are ready to serve.

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5. No Cook Dry Fruit Modak

Ingredients:

12 juicy, seedless dates

¼ cup finely almonds and cashews each

1.5 tbsp desi ghee

¼ dried prunes or raisins

1 tsp powdered cinnamon

¼ cup desiccated coconut

1 tsp powdered cardamom

1.5 tbsp rose water

Gulkand to taste

A modak mould

Method:

Add almonds, cashews and desiccated coconut to a food processor and grind till it turns into a coarse powder.

Add dates, raisins, cinnamon, cardamom, and desi ghee to the mixture and blend. Once the ingredients have combined well, add rose water to it. Keep processing until you get a thick mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Take the modak mould and grease it with desi ghee. Sprinkle some desiccated coconut and fill it up with the prepared mixture.

Add gulkand to taste and close the mould. Gently open it once it has acquired the shape and serve.

6. Ukdiche Modak

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

1 cup water

1.5 tbsp desi ghee

1 cup jaggery

¼ tsp salt

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 tbsp cardamom-nutmeg powder

A steamer

1 tsp saffron soaked in milk

1 tbsp sauteed poppy seeds

Method:

Add ½ tsp desi ghee to a pan and let it heat. Add desiccated coconut and jaggery. Combine the ingredients well and cook on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Keep stirring until the jaggery melts. Cook mindfully to retain the moisture.

Add sauteed poppy seeds and cardamom-nutmeg powder mix. Combine the ingredients well.

Take a large pot and add water to it. Add salt and desi ghee and bring it to a boil.

Add rice flour and combine everything well until you get a crumbly mixture. Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid.

After 10 minutes, transfer the mixture to a bowl. Apply water on your hands to tolerate the heat. Knead the hot mixture till you get a smooth dough.

Cover the dough with a moist cloth to prevent it from drying up. Form a medium-sized ball and press it against the belan to get a disc shape.

Keep a small amount of filling at the centre of the disc. Form thin pleats of the disc and bring them together. Seal the top to get the shape of a modak. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture and dough.

Take the steamer and either put a cotton cloth on the basket or grease it with oil. Place the prepared modaks on the basket and put a saffron thread on each of them.

Steam the modaks for 10 minutes on medium flame. Once they have steamed well, take them out and serve them with ghee (optional).

7. Vanilla Modak

Ingredients:

1 cup of milk

1 tsp desi ghee

2 cups desiccated coconut

1 tsp cardamom powder

½ cup jaggery

1 tsp nutmeg powder

A modak mould

Method:

Add milk and jaggery to a pan. Heat and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes and bring it to a thick consistency.  Keep the milk aside to let it cool at room temperature.

Take a pan and add desi ghee to it. Once it starts to heat up, add desiccated coconut.

Roast the mixture and simultaneously add cardamom-nutmeg powder.

Cook it well for 2-3 minutes until it turns slightly brown. Turn off the flame and let it cool for 3-4 minutes.

Combine the mixture and mix properly. Add gluten-free and alcohol-free vanilla extract to the same.

Mix it well and put the filling into the modak mould. Gently open it once it has acquired the shape and cool it in a refrigerator.

Once the modaks have become a bit firm, you can serve them.

Try these modak recipes and enjoy your favourite sweet guilt-free. And, when the puja gets over, here’s what you need to do. Pick that modak with a big grin on your face, and bring it close to your nose to smell the delicious fragrance. Or just eat it in one go because I wouldn’t wait that long.

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