Dry Fruit Modak – A healthy, sugar-free Modak made with dates and mixed nuts
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations have started today. It is celebrated grandly all over India, especially in Maharashtra. Everyone is busy preparing something nice and sweet for Ganapati Bappa’s prasad. Modak is Bappa’s favourite sweet and is similar to a dumpling. Traditionally, it is made with rice flour and filled with a jaggery and coconut mixture.
As Modak is Bappa’s favourite sweet, it is a must-have recipe for his naivedya thali. There are so many different varieties of modak. Some are traditional recipes like Ukadiche Modak, fried wheat modak, Khoya Modak and Mewa Modak. Now, many new and fusion varieties are also made, like chocolate Modak, biscuit Modak, Kunafa Modak, Oreo cookie Modak, sooji halwa Modak, etc.
The Date Modaks I am sharing today are sugar-free and made with dry fruits and khajoor (dates). These are healthy, nutritious and very easy to make. It is a no-cook recipe, so you can take help from your kids in shaping these Modaks. They will happily do this.
In fact, all these Modaks were made entirely by my 8-year-old grandson! I only made the mixture and gave it to him. He then filled the mixture into the moulds and shaped them perfectly and happily.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED-
- Nuts – I have used almonds, pista, raisins and cashew nuts, but you can also use walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts , seeds, dried cranberry etc or any of your favourite nuts and seeds .
- Dates – I have used seedless dates, but you can use any preferred or available dates. Majdool dates are the best.
- Ghee – Use ghee for roasting, or any neutral oil if you are vegan.
- Flavour – Add cardamom powder and a pinch of saffron.
HOW TO MAKE DATE AND NUT MODAK
- Deseed the dates if they are not seedless.
- Pulse the nuts in a chopper and crush them coarsely.
- Add the pitted dates and raisins to a food processor and blitz them until they become like a soft paste or dough.
- Take a big bowl, add the crushed nuts and date paste, cardamom and rose water, and mix well.
- If it feels sticky, then add desiccated coconut and mix well.
- Grease the modak mould with some ghee and fill it with the mixture. Press it well.
- Gently unmold the mould and take out the modak, you can garnish it with coconut or silver vark if needed
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Dry fruit Modak
Dry Fruit Modak – A healthy, sugar-free Modak made with dates and mixed nuts
Ingredients
- 500 gm Seedless Dates
- 1/3 cup Almonds / Badam
- 1/3 cup Cashew pieces/ Kaju Tukda
- 1/4 cup Pistachio / Pista
- 1/4 cup Raisins / Kishmish
- 1/3 cup Coconut, Dessicated
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder / Elaichi Powder
- 1 tsp Rose Water / Gulab Jal optional
- few strands Saffron / Kesar
Instructions
- Deseed the dates and grind them into a paste without using any water.
- Take the nuts in a chopper or food processor and grind coarsely in pulse mode.
- Take a big bowl ,add the nuts and the date paste, cardamom, rose water and coconut and mix well till it become like a soft smooth dough.
- Grease the modak mould with some ghee and stuff tightly from the bottom.
- Now gently unmold it and keep on a plate, can garnish with silvar vark if available .repeat the process with the remaining mixture.
- If you don't have the mould then shape them like a ladoo.
Notes
- Try to choose soft variety of dates like Majdool etc, they will grind easily
- you can add any variety of nuts or seeds you prefer to add.
- you can also add cinnamon powder or coco powder in it for flavour .
- can also add some powderd sugar if you want
Nutrition
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