Rava Modak

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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