Rosy Rice Modaks

Ingredients –for Rice Modak covering - Rice flour – 1 cup ,

Ghee – 1 tablespoon, Salt – a pinch ,Rose syrup-1tsp

For filling-1/2cup grated jaggery, Coconut grated fresh -1cup, Chopped nuts with raisins-2tbsps,Cardamom powder-1/2tsp or 1/4tsp rose essence

To decorate –silver balls and fresh rose petals

Modak mould to give shapes,

Method -for covering - Put 1cup of water along with 1 small spoon ghee in a utensil and heat it. When the water is about to boil, mix the rice flour and  salt in the water. Add tbsps rose syrup .Turn off the burner and leave the utensil covered  for 5 minutes.  Keep little water in a small bowl and little ghee in another small bowl. Mash the dough with hands greased with water and ghee, till the dough becomes soft. Leave the dough covered with a clean cloth.

For filling - Put the jaggery and coconut in a frying pan for heating. Keep stirring with the stirring spoon andcook till the jaggery and coconut are properly mixed and turn into a thick mixture. In this mix the with cardamom powder.nuts .filling for modaks is ready.

How to mould modaks - Grease modak mould  (inside portion) with little oil / ghee. Close modak mould. Take a lemon size portion of the dough from the  prepared  rice dough mixture and make it almost pear shape. Insert dough into the modak mould. Rotate clock wise. Then it's easy to insert into the modak mould.Make a cavity in the centre  of the dough with your thumb  finger.  Press the dough evenly with your thumb finger on the sides of the mould, making a large cavity in the centre. Gently fill about  2 teaspoon coconut mixture or any other filling (depending upon the size of the cavity) and fill up the cavity completely. Take  small lemon size rice dough and seal the opening of the mould (seal the modak from the bottom), making it flat and even on the base with the help of a teaspoon. Open the mould and remove modak carefully. Repeat this process for remaining modaks.

How to steam - In a flat bowl (or in a steamer bowl) grease 1 teaspoon oil. Arrange modaks carefully and steam in a steamer / rice cooker or pressure cooker ( without weight ) for 8-10 minutes on medium heat or until done and soft. Decorate with silver balls and fresh rose petals .