Ukadiche Modak with Paan Flavour Twist – A Festive Indian Dessert
Ukadiche Modak is a typical Indian dumpling sweet that is made on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival of Lord Ganesha. These dumplings are traditionally made with a jaggery and coconut mixture inside a soft shell made of rice flour. Give a special treat at your next party. Here, fresh betel leaves and rose petal jam have been added to the filling to give it a refreshing fragrance and a tint of green and mild herbal flavor. The outcome is a holiday dessert that is colorful, smells good, and incredibly sweet to eat, a dish to share with friends and relatives
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe is Unique
The difference in this recipe is the betel leaves. Paan is consumed after eating in India as a natural mouth freshener and has a refreshing herbal taste. It gives a beautiful green color and taste when mixed with milk and coconut. The addition of rose petal jam makes this filling earthly, floral, and decadent simultaneously.
The Perfect Festival Sweet
Many families cannot imagine Ganesh Chaturthi without boiling a pot of modaks. These tiny dumplings represent wealth and spirituality. The dish preserves the essence of the tradition, but it introduces a refreshing spin to today’s cooking.
They gain an extra charm with a contempoThe difference in this recipe is the betel leaves. Paan is consumed after eating in India as a natural mouth freshener and has a refreshing herbal taste. It gives a beautiful green color and taste when mixed with milk and coconut.
The addition of rose petal jam makes this filling earthly, floral, and decadent simultaneously.
The Beauty of the Coconut Shell
The shell of these Ukadiche Modak is composed of coconuts and this gives the dessert its natural flavour. Toasted coconut is a dry, floral sweetness with a natural aroma and gives the shell a light crunch, with a subtle nuttiness that gives the entire taste a lift.
Combined with clarified butter, It will be a smooth, rose-flavored blanket of taste, which provides flavor along with texture, in such a way that every bite will be delicious.
A Burst of Flavors in Every Bite
Every bite of this Paan Ukadiche Modak is a complete celebration of tastes and textures. The dry coconut gives it a nice crunch, and the rose petal jam gives a sticky richness that stays on the palate. The freshness and herbal of the betel leaves cut through the sweetness with true freshness.
All that is enveloped in the gentle, subtle feel of steamed rice flour dough, turning it into a multi-sensual dessert, both colorful and fragrant, and totally delicious to both children and adults.
Tips to Get It Right
There are a few simple tips that can make all the difference when it comes to the best Paan Ukadiche Modak . It is best to use fresh, tender betel leaves to achieve the most refreshing taste. In the making of the rice flour dough, knead the dough when still warm to get a smooth, pliable dough that can easily be shaped.
Do not over-steam the Ukadiche Modak , or they will crack–10 to 12 minutes is the rule. Lightly grease your modak mold with clarified butter before shaping, so it does not stick together, and it has clean edges. And lastly, eat the Modak , drizzled with melted clarified butter as a very decadent treat.
Variations You Can Try
Ukadiche Modak comes in a variety of tasty versions that you can enjoy. To prepare a Classic Jaggery Modak, all that is needed is to use jaggery and cardamom instead of betel leaf paste to have the original and most authentic taste.
Everyone loves texture, and a Dry Fruit Ukadiche Modak is best with crushed almonds, cashews, or pistachios in the filling, which adds a lovely crunch. And to make a more modern, kid-friendly version, add cocoa powder or melted chocolate to the filling to create a Chocolate Modak, which is velvety and lovely and just right for little ones.
A Unique Festive Touch
The coconut shell gives a special festive touch to the Modak . It has a mild sweetness that would go well with aromatic fillings like rose petal jam or cardamom, and its relatively coarse texture. This makes every bite a delightful one, in comparison to the usual soft, chewy shells.
Served on a platter at feasts, coconut-shelled Ukadiche Modak are an attractive dish with their rustic touch and exotic flavor.
Versatile for Modern Twists
Coconut shells can be experimented with in a thousand different ways. They can be served alongside chocolate, nuts, or even fruit fillings, and they can make fusion versions of Ukadiche Modak , which can appeal to both traditionalists and modern food lovers.
Coconut is a flavour that is natural, which makes it a blank of creativity and yet at the same time respects the spirit of the festival.
Ukadiche Modak
Ingredients
Method
- Wash the betel leaves and blend them with milk and a small pinch of green food color until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat clarified butter in a pan, add the desiccated coconut, and sauté for 1 minute on low heat.
- Pour in the betel leaf paste and cook for 2–3 minutes until the mixture turns a beautiful green color and the raw flavor disappears.
- Let the mixture cool slightly.
- Once cooled, fold in the rose petal jam gently. This gives the filling a floral, sweet, and refreshing twist.
- Boil water with a pinch of salt and clarified butter.
- Add rice flour slowly while stirring to avoid lumps.
- Cover and let it steam for 2–3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Once slightly cool, knead into a soft, smooth dough.
- Grease a modak mold with clarified butter.
- Place a small portion of dough inside the mold and spread it thinly to form the outer shell.
- Add 1–2 teaspoons of the coconut–rose jam filling in the center.
- Seal with more dough, pressing gently to close the mold.
- Unmold carefully to reveal beautifully shaped modaks.
- Place the modaks in a greased steamer or on banana leaves.
- Steam for 10–12 minutes until the outer layer turns slightly translucent.
- Sweetness Control – Use less rose petal jam or swap with natural sweeteners like date paste, honey, or agave for a lighter version.
- Coconut Options – Replace desiccated coconut with fresh shredded coconut for extra moisture or use unsweetened coconut to reduce sugar.
- Betel Leaf Intensity – For a milder flavor, reduce the number of betel leaves; for a stronger herbal taste, add an extra one.
- Indulgent Twist – Add melted dark chocolate or cocoa powder to the filling for a fusion-style dessert.
- Gluten-Free & Vegan Friendly – This recipe is naturally gluten-free. To make it vegan, swap ghee with coconut oil or vegan butter.
- Nut Lovers’ Version – Add chopped almonds, cashews, or pistachios to enhance texture and nutritional value.
Notes
Nutrition Information (per serving – approx.)
- Calories: 120–140 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 20–22 g
- Protein: 2–3 g
- Fat: 4–5 g
- Fiber: 2 g
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