Black Rice Baked Modak | With Instant Dry Fruits Puran | How to make Nutritious Modakam without Mould

What if, the usual follow up of Modak is skipped and the innovative mode is clicked on?
What if, the modak would be more nutritious with the Dry Fruits Puran and Black Rice envelope?

Ganesh Chaturthi is incomplete without offering Modak to Modak-loving God, Lord Ganesha. Isn't it? The Puran modak with coconut jaggery filling or channa dal filling would be the common Puran (or Pooranam or filling) used to make Modak. For the outer envelope, white rice flour is used.

Why do we stick to the same kind of Puran Modaks for Ganesh Chaturthi every year? Let us go unique as well as healthy with this Baked version of Black Rice Modak. The speciality lies in the Puran which is instant without any sweetener like jaggery or palm jaggery, but with the goodness of Dry Fruits. Thanks to the Nutritious Dry Fruits and the Natural Sweetness lies within them.

The Modak making procedure is unique which makes it perfect for the Baked version. Try not to steam cook as they would turn soggy which may fail to satiate the perfection in the Modaks. Just Bake until it gets cooked completely to get a perfect Modak which would be a tasty and healthy treat, for sure. You could bake them for a few more minutes to get crispy baked modaks that are equally great giving a unique recipe experience. Offer this Highly Nutritious Puran Modak to Lord Ganesha and make Ganesh Chaturti gets fully Completed.

Starting from the dough making procedure to the cooking procedure, everything stands unique in this recipe. With the goodness of dry fruits and the black rice, this modak would be Wholesome, health-filling and heart-filling to offer Lord Ganesha.

Know the goodness of Black Rice (or Forbidden Rice):

• Great detoxifier.
• Promotes Hair growth and Heart Health.
• Helps control Blood sugar level.
• Great Immunity-boosting, Nutritious food.
• Rich in Protein and Iron than Brown Rice.
• Rich in fibre content that helps alleviate constipation. 

Can I do this recipe with Black Rice Flour?

• Yes, you can.
• Bring a cup of water to a rolling boil and add a cup of black rice flour to it. Cook until they combine and forms a soft dough. Follow the remaining steps as given in the procedure.

Black Rice has a special taste with a nutty aroma. The baked black rice envelope has had a great taste which was more than just yummy. Is there any need to tell about dry fruits? A handful of dry fruits is a powerhouse of Nutrition. The dry fruits Puran not only lift the health but also elevate the modak taste to the next level making it a perfect health-filling and tummy-filling snack recipe.

⏲ Soaking Time: 8 to 10 hours (preferably Overnight)
⏲ Preparation Time: 30 minutes
⏲ Baking Time: 25 minutes (approx)
🍴 Yields: 15 Modaks (approx)

Black Rice Baked Modak | With Instant Dry Fruits Puran

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A super delicious, highly nutritious Puran Modak prepared with Black Rice envelope and Instant Dry Fruits Puran.

What to Use? [1 cup = 150 ml]

For Making Modak dough :

• Black rice - 1 cup 
• Salt- 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
• Water - 1/2 cup

For Making Puran :

• Almonds - 1/4 cup
• Cashews - 1/4 cup
• Golden Raisins - 1/4 cup
• Dates - 1/2 cup
• Fresh Coconut pieces - 1/3 cup
• Cardamom pods - 4 (optional)

Steps Involved:  
For Making Black Rice dough:

• Wash and soak black rice for about 8 to 10 hours or preferably overnight.
• Grind the soaked black rice along with salt and water to get 'neither too thick nor too thin' batter.
• Pour into a pan, add ghee and stir continuously until it forms a soft dough.

For Making Instant Dry Fruits Puran:

• Add cashews, almonds, raisins, dates and coconut to a mixer and grind to a paste. 

 For Making Puran Modak:

• Make balls out of the dough, flatten them and make thin circles using hands.
• Place Puran at the centre and seal the dough either by gathering at the top or by folding to half. Or you could make any shapes you want.
•  Bake the modaks until they get cooked.

Visual Treat: 

 Video link for "Black Rice Baked Modak" post: 

https://youtu.be/O8dbc-5kUk

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For comforting the easy understandability of the recipe, the step by step detailed procedure along with the picture is shown below:

Step-by-Step Procedure with Pictures

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How to Make?

For Making Dough:

• Take a cup of Black Rice in a bowl. I used Maapillai Samba variety for making this modak.

• Wash the black rice twice with enough water. This removes the dirt present in the black rice.

• Soak the black rice overnight. It is mandatory to soak them for about 8 to 10 hours as they literally take a pretty much time to get soaked well. 

• Drain off and transfer to a mixer jar. Grind the black rice without adding any water. This helps in getting the fine batter.

• Add salt to the mixer jar. 1/2 tsp is just enough for the given quantity. More salt should not be added.

• Add water to the black rice. More water makes the batter runny. So, be cautious while adding water.

• Grind to get "neither thick nor thin batter". The batter should be in fine consistency.

• Transfer the black rice batter to the pan. See, the batter should resemble dosa batter in the consistency.

• Add a tablespoon of ghee. This helps in getting a flavourful, non-sticky dough.

• Stir continuously over the burner until they combine to form a soft dough. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool down to the room temperature. The soft dough is ready! Though it seems sticky, it would hold the shape beautifully while shaping the modaks.

For Making Instant Dry Fruits Puran:

• Take 1/4 cup of Almonds in a mixer jar. 

• Add in the cashews to the same mixer jar. 

• Add the golden raisins to the mixer jar.

• Now, deseed the dates and add them as well.

• Finally, add the fresh coconut pieces or the freshly shredded coconut to the mixer jar.

• Grind them to form a paste. Though any dry fruits could be added, the ratio should be proper in order to get a non-stick Puran.

• Make small balls out of the Instant Puran.

• 15 Puran balls are possible with the mentioned quantity of ingredients.

For Shaping Modak:

• Pinch a small portion from the dough and make a ball out of it.

• Flatten the ball using hands. Just get it pressed using the palm.

• Start to thin out the flattened ball as shown in the picture using hands to get a thin circle sheet.
   
   
• Place Puran at the centre of the thin circle sheet.

Shape 1:

• Gather the dough at the top in such a way that it covers the Puran.

• Make pleats uniformly at the sides to make it look like this.

• The shape should look like the picture below once you have done with the shaping.

Shape 2:

• Fold the thin sheet into half.

• Seal the edge by just pressing or making curves at the edge. 

•  Any shapes could be possible as the dough holds whatever shape we do. The half-moon shaped modak should look like this:

For Baking Puran Modak:  

Stove-top Baking:

• Preheat sand or salt for 10 minutes on a high flame.

• Place the modaks on a greased plate.

• Bake for 25 minutes on a medium flame to get the perfectly baked Modaks. 

Microwave Baking:

• Preheat Microwave oven for 10 minutes at 180-degree Celcius. And place the modaks over the greased baking tray.

• Bake the modaks for 22 to 25 minutes at 180-degree Celcius. Baking for a few more minutes would turn the outer layer crispy which would also be great to taste.

• The super delicious, highly nutritious treat is ready to get served!

Visual Treat- Video for " Black Rice Dry Fruits Baked Puran Modak":

Tips:

• Brush the modaks with little ghee before they get into the baking process. They make modaks more flavoursome.
• Grease the hands with ghee or oil before shaping the modaks. Though the dough seems sticky, they beautifully hold the shape. So, it's time to turn your creativity mode on!
• As dried figs are out of stock in my pantry, I was forced to skip them. Dried figs and their lovely popping seeds just rock in the Instant Puran. So, I suggest adding them if you have. 
• If adding chopped fig, increase the nuts quantity as well. More Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios, Walnuts or Peanuts should be added in the recipe which helps in getting the Puran non-sticky.
• If you wanna store Puran for later use, dry roast the coconut before adding. This helps in lending longevity to the Puran.
• Some cardamom pods could be added while grinding Puran. Or You could add cardamom powder for an extra flavour. I skip cardamoms as my Puran just tasted great even without it.

Try these Baked Nutritious Modaks for Ganesh Chathurthi!

Offer the Ultra-delicious & Health-Loaded Modaks to Lord Ganesha &

Complete Ganesh Chathurthi with Full Satisfaction!