Modak/sweet rice dumplings - Kadubu recipe

Rice dumplings stuffed with coconut, lentil and brown sugar goodness!
Here are the classic rice dumplings with a sweet coconut and jaggery/raw sugar filling. They are typically made for lord Ganapathi's festival a hindu god, to celebrate his birth..

For the stuffing
1 cup chickpeas/Bengal gram/hurikadale
1 cup white sesame seeds
1 cup jaggery powdered to crumbs, or dark brown sugar
1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried coconut, grated.
1/4 cup poppy seeds/ ghas-ghase/khs-khus
4 green cardamom/elaichi seeds, peeled from their pod, and powdered

For the rice dough: Makes abut 12 medium sized kadabus
1 and 1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour/maida
2 cups hot water
1/4 tsp salt


For the stuffing, dry roast the chick peas, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds individually until the are toasty and aromatic. Powder each of them separately. In a bowl, combine all these powders with cardamom powder, jaggery crumbs, and coconut. Note that, if you are using fresh coconut, squeeze out the coconut milk and use the shreds, so it wont get the stuffing soggy. Set aside.

In a non-stick pan, bring water to a rolling boil. Add salt, then the rice flour and maida. Let it bubble for about 3 minutes. Using a large wooden spatula/spoon, stir the mixture into a smooth dough, getting rid of lumps. You can move it away from the heat, and knead it with the spoon. Place it back onn low heat and let it cook for 5 minutes. Take care not to burn it.

Wet a wooden board, and dump the rice dough on it. Place a bowl of col water by your side. Dip your hands in it and knead the hot dough to form a smooh ball. Dip your hands with cold water as often as you can. Place this large dough ball in an airtight box, so it does not dry out or lose the warmth. Working with warm , soft dough will result in smooth kadabus/dumplings.



Make a lemon sized ball from the dough, and place it on a well greased banana leaf or ziploc bag. Pat it down with your hand or a rolling pin that is greased with coconut milk or ghee. Once the ball turns into a small round patty, the size of your palm, lift the dough and cup it on your palm. Add a spoon of stuffing in the center.

Press one corner of the dough like as if you are pinching it, to forma  pointed edge. Repeat the same one next to the other. Do this while holding the modak in your left hand, and pressing the edges with your right. This will made a beautiful cup. Carefully bring all the edges together and press them together with your fingers to a pointy top and twist.


Many of us steam this is a steam pan for 5 to 0 minutes, while some of us like it as is.  My mouth is watering as I type these steps down, lol. This is by far my favorite sweet in the whole wide world. I remember as a child, when my mother made these, I would eat only this until it was over, no lunch or dinner just modak.

I am sure you will enjoy making it and relishing it as much as I do.