Gulkand modak: an easy rose modak recipe
Gulkand modak recipe: soft khoya modak with a rose gulkand and coconut centre, made in a mould in 30 minutes. Plus a steamed ukadiche version and tips.
The short answer
The easiest gulkand modak is a khoya (mawa) modak with a rose centre. Cook khoya with a little sugar until it leaves the pan, let it cool slightly, press it into a modak mould, and fill the centre with gulkand mixed with coconut and nuts. It takes about 30 minutes of work, needs no steaming, and makes about a dozen modaks.
What is gulkand modak?
Modak is the sweet dumpling most associated with Ganesh Chaturthi, traditionally offered to Ganesha. The classic Maharashtrian ukadiche modak is a steamed rice-flour shell around coconut and jaggery. Khoya modaks, shaped in a mould, are the quicker sweet-shop style. Gulkand works in either: its soft petals and rose scent make a filling that tastes of something more than sugar.
Ingredients
• 200 g unsweetened khoya (mawa), crumbled or grated
• 3–4 tablespoons powdered sugar, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 teaspoon ghee, plus a little for the mould
• For the filling: 4 tablespoons rose gulkand
• For the filling: 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• For the filling: 1 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios or almonds
How to make gulkand modak
1. Mix the filling: stir the gulkand, coconut and nuts together into a thick, spoonable paste. If it is very loose, add a little more coconut.
2. Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan on low heat and add the khoya. Stir continuously for 4–5 minutes until it softens and turns smooth.
3. Add the powdered sugar and keep stirring for another 3–4 minutes, until the mixture comes together and leaves the sides of the pan.
4. Stir in the cardamom, take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool until it is warm enough to handle comfortably.
5. Knead it briefly in the pan with the back of a spoon or your palm until smooth.
6. Grease a modak mould with a drop of ghee. Press khoya mixture into both halves, leaving a hollow in the centre.
7. Put about ½ teaspoon of the gulkand filling in the hollow, close the mould, and press a little more khoya into the base to seal it.
8. Open the mould and lift the modak out. Repeat with the rest.
9. Let the modaks firm up at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving.
Can you make modak without a mould?
Yes. Take a lime-sized ball of the khoya mixture, flatten it into a cup in your palm, add the filling, then bring the edges up and pinch them together into a point. Mark the sides with the back of a knife to imitate the pleats. It will look homemade, which is no bad thing.
Steamed ukadiche modak with gulkand
For the traditional steamed version, make your usual coconut and jaggery filling (about 1 cup grated fresh coconut cooked with ½ cup jaggery until dry) and stir in 2 tablespoons of gulkand once it is off the heat. Make the shell as usual — 1 cup rice flour added to 1 cup boiling water with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of ghee, covered, rested and kneaded smooth — then pleat, fill and steam for 10–12 minutes. Because jaggery and gulkand are both sweet, taste the filling before adding all the jaggery.
Tips
• Cook the khoya on low heat. It catches quickly, and browned khoya changes the flavour.
• Shape while warm. Cold khoya cracks in the mould; if it does, warm it in the pan for half a minute.
• Keep the filling thick. Gulkand on its own can leak out of the base; the coconut binds it.
• For saffron modaks, use Kesar Elaichi Gulkand in the filling and leave the cardamom out of the khoya.
• For colour, a few strands of saffron soaked in a teaspoon of warm milk can go into the khoya. No food colour is needed.
Serving and keeping
Khoya modaks keep for 2–3 days in an airtight box in a cool place; steamed modaks are best eaten the same day. These are rich sweets, high in sugar and milk fat, so anyone with diabetes should keep to one. For another sweet from the same jar, try gulab churma or gulkand kulfi.
Made with our Rose Gulkand: rose petals and mishri only, layered and left in the sun rather than cooked, with no added colour, essence or preservative. Delivery is a flat ₹39 anywhere in India; Udaipur customers can collect from our Bedla shop.
Buy from the Haldighati valley
- Rose Gulkand — Sun-cured Damask rose petal preserve. 470 g, ₹449.
- Kesar Elaichi Gulkand — Rose gulkand with saffron and green cardamom. 470 g, ₹549.