Mothagam recipe with step by step photos. I had already posted mothagam recipe with coconut filling earlier but wanted to try it with chana dal filling using the mould so last week made it and clicked to post it here for vinayagar chathurthi special. Though making modaks using mould is time consuming, the end result looks pretty especially for the clicks 🙂 Check out the savoury urad dhal kozhukattai here.
This is my fav anytime and as a kid I’ve enjoyed it as a teatime snack many times so try this for your kids am sure they will enjoy it too.
Mothagam Recipe – Ingredients
Preparation Time : 30 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Makes : 10 modaks
Recipe Category: Snack | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian
Recipe Category: Snack | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian
For the outer covering:
Rice Flour(Idiyappam flour) – 1 cup
Water – 1 and 1/4 cup(adjust as needed)
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
For the pooranam:
Channa Dal – 3/4 cup
Coconut – 3 tbsp
Powdered Jaggery – 1 cup
Cardamom powder – a pinch
Method:
- Take jaggery in a sauce pan add water, mix well with a laddle for the jaggery to dissolve.
- Filter to remove impurities.Then pour it back to the pan and heat it up to thicken a bit.
- Pressure cook channa dal for 4 whistles and mash it with a laddle or masher.Then add this to jaggery syrup.
- Cook till it thickens.The more the water you add to jaggery it will take more time to get thicken, so be careful while adding water.
- At one stage the mixture will become thick leaving the sides of the pan.
- This is the right stage, add cardamom powder,mix well and switch off.When it is still warm, roll them into small balls.Keep aside.
- Add salt to rice flour,Mix it once.Boil water until it bubbles up,switch off then add it to rice flour.
- Mix with a laddle,once it starts to come together,Set aside for few mins until it is warm enough to handle with hand.Now bring everything together to form a smooth dough without any cracks.
- Now the stuffing and the outer dough is ready.Take your mould, grease it with oil,grease your hands too.Now close the mould and take a dough shape it as a ball and stuff it from the bottom side.
- Nicely press it along the sides in the inner part,leaving a center hole for the stuffing.Now carefully insert the stuffing in the center hole,press it.Then seal it with little dough as shown.
- Then open carefully to take out the modaks. Grease the mould with oil when it starts sticking. Repeat the process till the entire dough finishes.
- If you don’t have mould you can shape modaks like this(for detailed steps check below).Then arrange all the modaks it in idli / idiyapam steamer and steam it for 8-10 mins. When the outer layer turns shiny then your modaks are done.
Method to make mothagam without mould:
- Always make the poornam ready first then make the outer dough so that the outer dough doesnt get dried up. Once the pooranams are ready you can relax, watch ur favourite tv program and do the kozhukattai 🙂 Grease ur hands with oil.Make lemon sized small balls with the prepared dough and flatten them as thin as possible like a small cup.Now keep the coconut pooranum stuffed ball and keep in middle of the cup as shown below.Pull around the edges and bring it to center over the top of the filling. Bring it together to form the modak shape.Now follow the procedure for the remaining dough too.
- Arrange the modaks in a steaming plate and steam it for 10mins.After 10-12 mins check if the kozhukottais are done, the outer layer will be a bit shiny.Now carefully transfer them in a bowl and ur kozhukattais are ready!
Video showing how to shape modakam without mould
Check out thengai poorna kozhukattai recipe that I posted a year back.
There are varieties of filling ideas like :
- Only coconut
- Channa Dal and coconut
- Sesame seeds and coconut
- Peanuts and coconut
- Urad dhal for savoury etc
My Notes:
- Water should be very hot, only then the flour will get cooked well and the dough will be less sticky.Use laddle while mixing and when it turns warm use your hands to bring it together to form a dough.
- Do not add the full 1 and 1/4 cups of water to the flour at a stretch. Add it little by little.
- Grease your hands / mould while making the modaks to avoid sticking.
- Make sure to keep the unused dough covered with a wet cloth to avoid it from drying.
- I used readymade idiyappam flour this time, sieve it once atleast even for homemade flour(if its not sieved previously)
I remember, on Vinayaga Chathurthi, my mom wakes me up at 4 am n pushes me to bathe n help her with filling the pooranam. It tempts me so much. Sadly, she won't let me eat before offering to Lord Ganesha 🙂 Pics are amazing and the last one makes me drool 🙂 Wil try on Vinayaga Chathurthi 🙂
Happy Vinayaka Chathurthi!!! Picture perfect and delicious and yummy!!!!!!! I can go on and on… Very nicely done
Sowmya
Ongoing Event – Coconut
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wow…gorgeous mothagam…one of my faorites…beautifully explained…:)lovely clicks again dear,,,:)
Dr.Sameena@
http://myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/
Wow they look so yummy and love their shape. Sharmi I made a birthday cake for my husband using your easy vanilla sponge recipe, will be posting it soon in my blog. Its so yummy I just cant describe, I did a vanilla butter cream frosting and thank you for the wonderful recipe, I read each of your 200 comments to get more tips and am so happy to follow you here.
Love your recipes dear, do visit me when you can
Priya
Cook like Priya
very detailed process sharmi..modak is my almost favorite sweet and they look very cute..
Super cute looking modakams , never tried with channa dal poornam though.
This is gorgeous sharmi….though I never had a chance to have this…hopefully I can make this with your detailed explanation.
They are kinda cute.
The mold looks very pretty Sharmi. Yummy kozhukattais.
Vardhini
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most favorite kozhukattai… i love it with dal pooranam…
VIRUNTHU UNNA VAANGA
Hi Dear i am always a big fan of your pics. i really drool over them.
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HI Sharmis, ,Lovely clicks and ur modak looks cool.where did you get this mould from? I am very much interested
@Thava : The modak mould I used is my mothers got from her native..but have seen it once in Rathna Stores T.Nagar Chennai.
Love the stripe modakams 🙂
Looks stunning, especially the second last click! I wish i cud get a mould:-)But then i guess i will be too lazy to do such pretty modaks:-)
Looks so perfect ….lovely pics
Irresistible mothagams,i have the same moulds too..
tht's looks so tempting …yum
acutally i like this saree 🙂 wow well match with the modhagam
Looks super…Delicious and cute…Loved that mould…
i love anything coconut! these look so good!
Wow..they looks so cute 🙂 loved its shape n looks very tempting…love this Chana dal filling too!!
Very nice pics n presentation…kalakiteenga 🙂
I always make this pooranam. Love the cute modaks. I did bring a mould from India. Need to search for it now !!
I have a similar set of pics taken last year,though not as gorgeous!love the shape!
Loved tat cute pillayar…Ofcourse Modakam too..
very cute and pretty looking modhakams, feeling like gobbling few now 🙂
Very nice
Aww !! I love these cute little balls, and that mould.. I want it 🙁
they look so perfect Sharmi.. and your pictures are wirth staying on this page for a while..
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Wow! they have moulds? I have made so many modhakums by hand, the mould will help.
When I initially saw the recipe I thought this were store bought. I couldnt believe seeing those beautiful treats. This is such a family favorite of ours. Beautiful!
We usually make with coconut so glad to see the alternative with chana dal. So perfectly made. Totally yum
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Wonderful kozhukattai, love the shapes!
Appetite Treats
I love your recipes and have tried so many.. all of them turned out yummmm!! I love the modak.. where did you get it can you please tell me
Hi, I love your blog and the recipes. I hv tried so many and all hv turned out yummm!!! Can u pls tell me where u bought the modak its so pretty!
really superb menu with awesome photography excellent !!!!Sharmi
Hi
I live in germany and here its difficult to get jaggrey. So which fulling will taste good when made with sugar. Usually sugar fillings do not taste as good as those with jaggrey..
Planning to make the pidi kolzhukattai.. So want to make a sweet one as well..
HI sharmilee…..i just tried out this recipe from ur blog! loved the filling…… pls check it out…:)
http://amumsjournal.blogspot.in/2012/09/sweet-kozukattai-mothagam.html
Absolutely love the modakam and love the mold …. Adorable
Can anyone suggest an online source to purchase the mould? I'd really like to make these and I know I could do it without the mould but they are just so pretty when pressed into that shape!
Made these modaks for Ganesh Chaturthi n it was a super hit…thanks for the lovely recipe…..
These look so pretty. Is there an online store where I can purchase these molds?
@Wizzy : Sure, will update here when I find it online
i am big fan of ur pics
i am big fan of ur pics,really love them
your recipe is easy to follow. thank you. i am from malaysia. where can i get the mould?
Kindly check the reply for @Thava's comment 🙂
Hi Sharmilee!I love all your posts.I admired this post atleast 100 times.Have ordered for a modak mould too.I have tried many of your dishes.Keep up the good work 🙂
Hi Sharmi… Can we use ready made rice flour for this?? Thank you 🙂
I have tried with idiyappam flour..you can use that.
Thank you!!!
Sharmi. Very nice and useful post. I do not have a steaming plate. Can I use idly cooker?
Yes you can use your idli plates for steaming
Sharmi..May I know where you got the mothagam mould.Its very nice
HI sharmi! Thanks for posting the recipes here.I tried it out for the first time and it was waow! We are just using your efforts effortlrssly! thanks for your time.Keep up the good work.
Hai Sharmili where you got that mothak mould please let me know and the pics are mouth watering
I got it from native, but you get these in supermarkets especially during the festival season
Hi Sharmi,
Thank you for sharing the modak recipe. I tried it today. No crack and it was very easy to prepare. The filling is coconut jaggery. Thank you so much again. God bless.
I tried with idiyaappam flour but d dough bcame too soft.it was difficult to shape it .may i know wht was my mistake.tq
If the prepared dough is not of proper consistency then it will break
Realy amazing Receipe surely I will try for this vinayaga chathurthi, my heart drools for this dish thanku