Ingredients
Makes 14 modaks. Scale using the Modak Calculator. Tap any ingredient to tick it off.
Method
Roast the flaxseeds
In a dry heavy pan on medium-low heat, roast flaxseeds 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly until they pop and smell nutty. Remove immediately. Cool completely before grinding.
Grind to coarse powder
Pulse roasted flaxseeds in a blender to a coarse powder — not completely fine. Slight grittiness is traditional. Pulse 4–5 times, 5 seconds each.
Make the filling
Melt jaggery, add coconut, cook 4 minutes. Add ground flaxseed, dry ginger, groundnut if using. The flaxseed absorbs moisture quickly — mixture becomes dry within 2–3 minutes. Add cardamom off heat. Cool.
Standard dough, shape, steam
Boiling water, salt, coconut oil, rice flour — rest, knead. 25g portions. Standard 4–5 pleat shaping. Steam on banana leaf 10–12 minutes. The nutty flaxseed aroma during steaming is beautiful.
Tips & Variations
Jawas (flaxseed) is a sacred Sankranti ingredient in Maharashtra. Til modak and jawas modak are both Sankranti sweets as well as Ganesh Chaturthi offerings.
3.6g fibre per modak — the highest in the collection. 5g protein. Warming and satiating in the Ayurvedic sense.
About This Recipe
Jawas modak is the modak of Maharashtra's winter — and the combination of roasted flaxseed, jaggery, and coconut is one of the most ancient winter preparations in the state's food tradition. The Omega-3 content was not named historically, but the warming, satiating effect of flaxseeds in winter was well understood.