Steamed Modak Platter (Rice Flour Dumplings with Coconut and Jaggery)

Filling

• 1 ½ tbsp Ghee
• 40 g Cashew nuts
• 160 g Jaggery
• 120 g Desiccated coconut
• ½ tsp Ground cardamom

Dough

• 200 g Rice flour
• ¼ tsp Fine sea salt
• 260 ml Water

1. Melt 0.5 tbsp of the ghee in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cashew nuts and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until lightly golden; tip into a bowl and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan, add the jaggery with 2 tbsp water and warm over a low heat until melted and syrupy. Stir in the desiccated coconut and cook for 4 to 6 minutes until the mixture looks drier and starts to come together; stir in the ground cardamom and the toasted cashews, then cool until just warm.
3. Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan with the fine sea salt and the remaining 1 tbsp ghee. Reduce the heat to low, add the rice flour all at once, and stir vigorously until it forms a smooth, stiff dough and pulls away from the sides.
4. Tip the dough into a mixing bowl and cover with a clean, slightly damp cloth to prevent it drying out. When cool enough to handle, knead for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and pliable.
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Working with one ball at a time and keeping the rest covered, flatten it into a disc and pinch the edges to form pleats, then add a spoonful of filling and bring the pleats together to seal into a pointed dumpling.
6. Set up a steamer over a large pot of gently boiling water. Steam the modak for 10 to 12 minutes until the shells look slightly glossy and feel set; serve warm as an offering.

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