The perfect rava modak recipe without steaming method! Smooth, velvety outer layer made from semolina (suji) and milk then stuffed with coconut-jaggery sweet stuffing.
Make stuffing:- Take coconut and jaggery in a pan on medium heat. Mix and cook till it becomes thick and most of the moisture evaporates. It takes around 6-7 minutes.- Now add poppy seeds, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix and cook a minute.- Turn off the stove, remove the stuffing to a plate and let it cool down.
Cooking outer dough:- Take semolina in a pan and dry roast with stirring constantly till it starts to change the color slightly. It takes around 7-8 minutes. Make sure not to burn or brown too much. Remove it to a plate and keep it aside.- In a saucepan, take water and milk. Add ghee and turn the heat on medium, let the mixture come to a boil.- The and roasted sooji and mix immediately. As soon as you mix, it will be like a thick paste.- Keep stirring and cooking, within a few minutes it becomes thick and comes together like a dough. Remove it to a plate and let it cool to touch (warm)
Kneading the dough:- As soon as you can handle the dough, start kneading and make a smooth yet tight dough ball.- Do not let the mixture cool down otherwise it stays crumbly and does not get smooth. If you feel hot, dip your hand into the water and keep kneading.
Shaping the rava modak:- Grease the modak mould using ghee. Keep it close. Take a small ball of dough and insert it into the mould from the bottom hole.- Using your finger, press it tightly around the edges evenly and make a hollow center. Fill the center with prepares stuffing.- Now close the bottom part with little dough and smooth out. Make sure it is sealed properly and tightly.- Now carefully open, unmould and arrange on the plate. Repeat the same.
Notes
Do not overcook the stuffing otherwise it becomes chewy.
Cooking time mentioned for stuffing may vary depending on how much moisture your coconut and jaggery has. So keep an eye on it.
You can skip adding poppy seeds and nuts, raisin to make plain, simple stuffing.
The color of the stuffing depends on the color of your jaggery used.
Do not let the outer dough cool down completely. Knead them while it is still hot or warm.
Dip your hand into water and knead so you don’t feel the hot dough.
While shaping suji modak, make sure that you're pressing the dough around the edges evenly. Otherwise, in one bite you get too much dough and less stuffing vs other bite has more stuffing.