Modakachi Amti: A Savory Khandeshi Spin on Sweet Modaks

Pooja Sharma shares her memories of growing up in a household where food was always plain, and waiting to visit her maternal home in vacations for all the traditional flavourful Marathi food. 

My father was a police inspector and my mother was a teacher. Ours was a household of strict rules, simple living and big dreams. My elder sister was quite obedient, she followed our parents to the T. And I was the odd one out! 

All three of them shared this great love for rather bland and uninteresting food – leaving my foodie self unsatisfied. But once every year, in the summer vacations, I’d get to sample all the flavourful, amusing and wonderful Marathi dishes at my aunt’s home in Aurangabad.

Modak was of course the popular demand among all the children. Mashi, my aunt and her daughter, Tai would carefully pleat Ukdiche Modak, steamed rice flour dumplings filled with coconut, jaggery, poppy seeds and cardamom. The word "ukadiche" means "steamed" in Marathi. On some evenings, we’d also make fried Modaks as snacks. Over the years in Maharashtra, I have had the chance to try a variety of Modaks, but one recipe that is almost lost is Modakachi Amti or Umber Handi, passed down from generation to generation in Khandesh. Modaks with a savoury filling were slow-cooked in spicy amti, a spicy gravy of chana daal, onions and goda masala (a Maharashtrian spice blend). 

It was served with Khandeshi Khichdi, Kanda Bhaji and ghee-laden Puran Poli. Making these Modaks is one of my fondest memories. We’d all sit down on the floor, shaping the dough between palms, stuffing it with the fragrant mixture and sharing stories. Learning to shape the perfect Modaks was like elementary education in Marathi homes. Everybody had to learn it, regardless. After all, this is the only means to make Ganesha happy! 

In Khandeshi cuisine, we make Umber Handi with dried coconut. But there are versions with fresh coconut as well in some regions and is also called Modakachi Amti.  Shaping the Modaks for Amti requires special skill, patience and years of experience – it has to be bite-sized with a thin outer cover for even cooking. There is no scope for messing up here. 

This dish is not linked to any season or festival but to the cravings of chatpata food. Especially during the summer season when there are fewer resources available for vegetables, people cook this as curry or sabji. 

Recipe for Umber Handi 

Ingredients

For Modak dough:

•  ¾ th cup wheat flour 

• ¼ th cup besan 

• ½ tbsp Turmeric Powder 

• ½ tbsp Red Chilly Powder

• ½ tbsp Salt

• ½ tbsp Cooking Oil 

For Stuffing: 

• ½ bowl Grated & Dry Roasted Coconut 

• 2 tbsp Danyacha Kut (roasted & coarsely crushed peanuts)

• ½ tbsp Poppy Seeds

• ½ tbsp Sesame Seeds

• 1 Lemon

• 1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder 

• 1 tbsp Goda Masala

• ½ tbsp Turmeric Powder

• 1 tbsp Sugar 

• Salt, as per taste

For Gravy:

• 2 big Onions, sliced 

• 8 - 10 Garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 inch Ginger, chopped

• ½ bowl Grated & Dry Roasted Coconut 

• 2 tbsp Oil 

• ½ tbsp Mustard Seeds

• 1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder

• ½ tbsp Turmeric Powder

• ½ tbsp Coriander Powder

• 1 tbsp Goda Masala 

• ½ tbsp Garam Masala

• Salt, as per taste

• Coriander Leaves, chopped for garnish 

Method

Making Modaks:

• Mix all the ingredients of the dough and knead a soft dough. Cover and let it sit for 45 minutes.

• Add all the ingredients of stuffing to a big bowl and prepare a mixture. 

• Take a small ball of the dough,flatten it on palm as thin as you can.

• Take a small amount of stuffing and place it in the centre and start folding flatten dough as we do for modak. Twist and close it on top properly so that it doesn’t break while boiling 

Gravy: 

• In a heavy bottom pan, add oil and roast onions, garlic and ginger. 

• Add dry coconut once the onions are brown.

• Once done, let it cool down and then blend in a mixture with red chilli powder into a coarse paste. 

• Take 2 tbsp oil and let mustard seeds pop in it. 

• Add coconut onion paste and roast until oil releases. 

• Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, goda masala, garam masala and mix it well. 

• Add boiling water to it along with salt. You need to add extra salt than the regular usage as modak will also soak salt. 

• After one boil, drop the modaks gently. 

• Turn the flame on to medium and cover the pan with a lid. Let it cook for 15-20 mins. 

• Turn all the modak upside down in between. 

• The modaks will swell and become bigger.

• Once it releases oil, check with the fork if the modak is cooked well. 

• Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot. 

Tip: It tastes even more flavoursome the next day!