Skip to Content

Rava Modak

5 from 1 vote
Total: 35 minutes
Serves 18

Greet the festival season with these delicious sweet snacks, a favorite of Lord Ganesha and anyone having an affinity for exquisitely delectable sweets. These soft and satin-smooth Rava Modaks, stuffed with mawa, coconut, and jaggery filling, are purely blissful and insanely delicious.

These modaks satiate the sweet cravings and the festival’s excitement!

Sooji modak garnished with pistachios

Festivities bring divine vibes, and there’s something special about every festival and its celebration, just as Ganesh Chaturthi reminds us of the addictively delicious Modaks

You will not find a single sweet-lover who would not want to dig into these ambrosial treats. These modaks are any sweet enthusiast’s dream snack; they are so irresistibly yummy!

You can quickly prepare these Rava Modaks, also known as ‘Ravyache Modak,’ as they are simple and super easy to make.

This recipe is a straightforward adaption of the traditional modaks, which require steaming. But, these Rawa Modaks do not need any steaming. This ensures quick preparation. 

Make them conveniently in advance and serve your family and guests during celebrations to make every moment special. I am sure this recipe will delight one and all. 

What is a Rava Modak

Modaks are dumplings kind of sweet with a deliciously flavored sweet coconut filling inside. It is the favorite sweet of the Hindu God, Lord Ganesha, which is offered during the puja ceremony at the Ganesha Chaturthi festival.

Traditionally, these modaks are prepared with rice flour, stuffed with coconut and jaggery filling, and then steamed until cooked.

This recipe of Rava Modak is prepared without the steaming method, using semolina/ sooji as the outer covering while keeping the stuffing nearly the same.

The mawa, coconut, and jaggery mixture form a lip-smacking filling, which renders the modaks a drool-worthy deliciousness.

Flavoring them with cardamom powder takes this delicacy to yet another level! These modaks can be shaped with hands or even with the modak-molds, which make things easier.

Rawa Modak on a tray

Reasons You’ll ♡ Rava Modak

These superbly delicious Rawa Modaks are loved for their taste, texture, and luxurious softness. Here is why and how it will win you over —

  • Requires a handful of ingredients easily found in the pantry
  • No-fail beginner’s recipe
  • Soft and has a melt-in-mouth texture
  • Comes together in 30 minutes
  • Just perfect for any occasion, and 
  • A perfect crowd-pleaser for all ages!

The best part is this bite-sized dessert can be made in advance; it freezes well, so make a big batch and enjoy it when the sweet cravings kick in!

Ingredient list

Rava modak Ingredient list

Ghee — Homemade desi ghee is best to acquire the divine taste and the delectable richness this recipe is so admired for.

Semolina — Sooji/ Rawa/ semolina is used as the base ingredient for this recipe that renders its structure (outer covering). We use fine sooji for this recipe as it makes the best modaks with the perfect melt-in-mouth texture. Please do not use coarse sooji as it’s used for preparing savory recipes like uttapams and upma.

Milk + Sugar — The concoction of sugar and milk creates the sugar syrup required for kneading the sooji in this recipe.

Mawa Mawa/ Khoya is used for making the filling. It adds richness and texture to the Rava modaks.

Cardamom — It is added for the lovely aroma and the subtle flavor that enhances the taste of these delicious modaks.

Coconut — These modaks are filled with a delicious filling of mawa and coconut. Unsweetened desiccated coconut contributes a subtle nutty flavor to the filling.

Jaggery — Modaks are sweetened with jaggery in this recipe of Rava Modak. You can use both light and dark-colored jaggery, depending on its availability at your place.

Milk Powder — It is added to the filling mixture as it renders some structure and richness to the delicious mix.

Milk — Used for binding the delicious coconut-mawa filling of the Rava modaks.

Rava Modak Recipe Tips and Variations

Use fine rawa (semolina) only — These modaks are prepared with fine sooji to get the most irresistibly smooth-textured modaks. If fine sooji is unavailable, you can grind the coarse sooji in a blender/food processor for a few seconds. This recipe must use fine sooji as the coarse variety of sooji does not work well and make your modaks crumble.

Perfect roasting for great-tasting modaks — Proper roasting of sooji is the key to the best-tasting modaks. Raw taste from the sooji, which is not well roasted, will spoil the taste of the entire recipe. So how do you know that the sooji is well roasted? Well, you can smell the pleasant earthy aroma lingering around your kitchen, and the sooji turns light brown. You can now stop roasting as your sooji is ready for the recipe.

Maintain the heat while roasting — Always roast Rawa on low-medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan. Also, keep stirring constantly as the rawa tends to stick to the bottom. It can go from toasted to burnt in minutes, so it needs to be taken care of. To ensure whether sooji has been properly roasted or not, notice its texture and color. Raw sooji feels heavy, but as you roast it, the grains feel lighter and lighter. Perfectly roasted sooji also turns light golden.

Use your preferred sweetener — This recipe can use jaggery instead of sugar. However, replacing sugar with jaggery will alter the taste and also change the color of the modaks from lighter to darker hued.

Altogether avoid overcooking — Once the liquid has evaporated from the sooji mixture while cooking and it comes together like dough, take it off the flame. Do not cook it for longer, as the sooji mix will become dry and crumbly, and the Rava modak will not bind.

Filling of coconut — This recipe is prepared using desiccated coconut as the filling. I have used unsweetened coconut, but feel free to use sweetened coconut if that’s all you have on hand. However, in that case, reduce the sugar content in the recipe. If you are using freshly shredded coconut, reduce the quantity of milk towards the end, as much of the moisture has already come from the fresh coconut.

Rawa ladoo garnished with rose petals

Replace jaggery for powdered sugar — You may skip jaggery and add powdered sugar to the filling. However, the color of the filling may vary if you’re using powdered sugar.

For easily binding modaks — Allow the sooji mixture to cool comfortably. Till then, keep it covered with a piece of cloth to prevent it from drying out. Then, bind the modaks immediately. Please don’t leave the sooji mixture to cool for too long as it will dry out and harden, making it difficult to shape into modaks.

For dry Rava modak mixture — If the cooked rawa feels dry and crumbly and you find it difficult to shape them as modaks, just add a little lukewarm milk and remix it. Now, try to shape them again.

Milk for extra moisture — Depending on the quality of the sooji, you may need to add a bit extra milk while binding the modaks, as dry sooji will not hold shape. Some brands of sooji absorb more moisture than others; therefore, feel free to add a little lukewarm milk when you feel it is a little dry.

Shaping modaks — For shaping Rava modaks beautifully, press it in the mold tightly, or the edges will not come out clean, and you will end up with cracked edges.

Rawa Modak inside view

Let me know what you think!

Isn’t it luring that you could make these Sooji modaks without lengthy methods? So, here is a recipe to prepare suji modaks: an easy and quick variation of the traditional modaks.

You will love to prepare this heart-winning recipe for sure. It just requires you to collect a few ingredients and begin with the sweet stint.

If you are ready, shall we start?

Should you make this Rava Modak recipe, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. 

And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.

MORE LIP-SMACKINGLY DESSERTS THAT YOU’LL LOVE!

Follow the step-by-step instructions to make the best Rawa Modak Recipe

Sooji modak garnished with pistachios

Rava Modak

5 from 1 vote
Greet the festival season with these delicious sweet snacks, Rava modak! These soft and satin-smooth modaks, stuffed with mawa, coconut, and jaggery filling, are purely blissful and insanely delicious. These modaks satiate the sweet cravings and the festival’s excitement!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Calories: 147 kcal
Servings: 18

EQUIPMENT

INGREDIENTS 

FILLING

SUGAR SYRUP

MODAK INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE FILLING

  • Add ghee to a heavy-bottomed pan. Add desiccated coconut to it.
    Cook coconut
  • Sauté the coconut on the medium-low setting until it starts emitting its nutty aroma and changes its color.
  • Add jaggery powder and cardamom powder to it. Once it is well-blended with coconut, turn off the heat.
    Add Jaggery
  • Add slivered pistachios to the coconut-jaggery mix.
    Add nuts
  • Transfer it to a bowl and allow it to cool.
  • When the mixture is comfortable to touch, add milk powder and 1-2 teaspoons of milk, and shape the filling into small balls.

PREPARE SYRUP

  • Combine milk and sugar in a pan and bring it to a slight boil.
  • Add cardamom powder and keep stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved in the milk. Take it off the flame and set it aside.

PREPARE SOOJI

  • Add ghee to a heavy-bottomed pan.
    Add ghee
  • Once the ghee melts, add fine sooji to this pan.
  • Cook the sooji over medium-low flame for 8-9 minutes.
  • Soon the sooji will become aromatic and change its color to a lovely brown hue.
  • Lower the heat to the lowest setting and add milk powder to the cooked sooji mix.
  • Mix until well-blended. Sauté this mixture for 1-2 minutes on the lowest heat setting.
  • Carefully pour in the lukewarm milk-sugar mix.
  • After adding the milk-sugar mixture, don't stop stirring to avoid lump formation in the sooji.
  • Add saffron mix to this bubbling sooji mix.
  • As the syrup evaporates, the bubbles disappear, and the sooji mixture thickens and turns into a soft dough. Turn off the heat.
  • Take a little mixture and roll it between your thumb and fingers; it should be non-sticky.

SHAPE MODAK

  • Brush the modak mold with some melted ghee.
  • Once greased, take some Rava mixture and spread it on both sides of the mold. Firmly press the Rawa mixture around the mold. Now, press both the mold ends together to give modak its shape.
  • Flip the mold over, and stuff the filling mixture at the bottom of the mold.
  • Take a small piece of Rava mix and seal the bottom part. Discard the excess mix and give the mold a final press.
  • Gently open the mold. Discard the excess mawa around the edges of the mold to give your modak an elegant look.
  • Press it around the edges or bottom to release the modak from its mold. Similarly, shape all the modaks until all the mixture is used up.
  • Arrange the modak on a plate. Garnish with pistachios, and enjoy.

VIDEO

RECIPE NOTES

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 
How can I store Rawa Modaks?
Rawa Modaks can be prepared ahead and stored in an air-tight container in a cool and dry place. They stay fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature and about a week in the refrigerator.
 
Is this recipe gluten-free?
Unfortunately not! Rawa or sooji is a by-product of durum wheat and is a type of coarse flour made from it. It includes gluten, so those looking for a gluten-sensitive diet should avoid it.
 
Can I prepare the coconut filling for these modaks in advance?
Yes, you can prepare the coconut filling one day in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Further, prepare your Rawa modaks as per the instructions given in this recipe.
 
How can I serve these delicious Rawa Modaks?
These sweet delicacies can be served as ‘naivedtam’ or ‘prasadam’ during Indian festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri.
You can also serve these delicious modaks as a dessert, a sweet snack, or an after-meal sweet treat.
 

NUTRITION

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided above is approximate. Variations may exist due to the ingredients/brands used. These numbers should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.
Author: Ruchi
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Eggless, Vegetarian

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate the Recipe!




Comments