Wishing you all a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi!!
Ukadiche Modak is a very famous Maharashtra sweet dumpling which is offered to Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi festival celebration. Modak is made using rice flour shell which is filled with a sweet mixture of grated coconut, jaggery, poppy seeds and flavored with green cardamon and nutmeg powder. The Ukadiche modak is steam cooked. As such there are varieties of modak’s recipes like mava modak, puran modak, kesari modak and dry fruit modak. I have also published couple of modak recipes Ukadiche Modak and Indian blackberry Modak. This recipe is a another variation of modak recipe which has a filling based on strawberry. Straberry gives a unique fruit flavor as well as sweet and sour taste to the modak. Rest of the filling ingredients are same like coconut, mava and jaggery. Preparing modak first time or first few time could be a daunting task as it requires patience and some practice to get the right texture and shape. There are some modak mold available and you can try that. 
- 1-1/3 cup Strawberry puree 20 strawberries
- little more than 1/2 cup Broken jaggery
- 1 cup Home made mava( khoya) or store bought
- 1 cup Fresh coconut grated
- 1 tbsp Rava roasted
- 1/4 tsp Fresh grated nutmeg powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Poppy seeds(Khus khus) roasted
- 1/3 cup almond pista and caswnuts fine chopped
- 4-5 Freshly crushed green cardamom
- 1-1/2 cup Rice Flour
- 1 tbsp All purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cup Water
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- Clean and hull strawberries and grind it to make a puree. Dry roast poppy seeds and rava till slightly golden color at low to medium heat separately. Once its done, keep aside. Boil strawberry puree along with jaggrey till puree gets thicker consistency. Add coconut and khoya in to it and mix. Bring down the temperature at low heat. Add roasted rava and poppy seeds, freshly crushed cardamon and nutmeg powder. Mix and cook all ingredients till it gets thick consistency. Add pinch of salt and nuts and mix it well.
- Once its done, turn off the heat. Keep aside.
- To make dough, Boil 1-1/2 cups of water along with salt and ghee at medium heat. Once comes to boil, add rice flour and all purpose flour in to boiling water and mix it using spatula. Turn off the heat. Cover and keep the mixture for 15 minutes.
- Let it cool down, knead the dough using hand till dough gets soft and smooth.
- Make 21 equal size of round dough balls. Keep them covered.
- Apply some water on your palm. Take one dough ball on your palm and flatten it using clapping motion using both the palms and give it a round poori shape.
- Pour your finger in water and give the poori a shape of bowl using your fingers on the edge of the poori. The center of the bowl should be thicker than edges.
- Place one tbsp strawberry filling in the center and make a petals all round.
- Dip your fingers into water and bring all petals towards the center gently using your fingers. Seal the edges together and give it modak shape.
- Make all modaks following the same process. Keep it covered.
- Prepare a steamer by heating water at medium heat. When steam starts coming out, place modak in the steaming pan and place it in steamer and cover it with lid. Let the modak steam cook for 9-10 minutes.
- Once its done, remove it along with steamer pan and keep it aside and allow it to cool before taking out the modak from the pan. Pour some ghee on it.
- Once it gets cold, take it out from the pan and place it in a plate or bowl and cover it. Depending on you steamer size, you may have to steam cook in multiple batches.
- Delicious strawberry flavored modaks are ready to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.
- Make these tempting modak to offer Lord Ganesha.
- Enjoy strawberry modak with your family & friends.
