Modhagam

Its Sankatahara Chathurthi for this month. Every Sankata Hara Chathurthi reminds me of  when Shyam and Hasini were boen. Like I told in the previous Chathurthi post, I prepare Modhagam or any other kind of kozhukattai for the day and offer it to temple. Sri Guruvaayoorappan temple in NJ is where we celebrated my daugthter's Ayushhomam. And we visit there on these occasions and spend our time there. The temple is so beautifully constructed, you feel the Sanctity the moment you enter the gate!
Now they are constructing this temple to a even bigger and beautiful temple. They also have sort of donation going in the temple for their construction. People, who like their kids' names to be inscribed in the new temple, can donate for the temple and let the holy spirit grow and bless us!

Modhagam is a yummy snack and also widely used dish for neivedhyam for vinayakar chaturti or Ganesha festivals.
Also whenever we do other varieties of kozhukattai and if we have left over pooranam, then we can use that pooranam to prepare modhagam and this way we do not need to throw away the left over Pooranam. Any kind of pooranam can be used to prepare modhagam. Here I am showing thengai poorana modhagam, a very traditional way! Try this and let me know your feedback!

 Modhagam

You need:
Grated Coconut - 1 Cup
Grated Jaggery - 1/2 Cup
Oil for Frying
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
Rice flour - 1 Cup
All purpose flour(Maida flour) - 3 cups
Kesari powder(Lemon flavour) - a Pinch (optional)

Heat a pan, add 1 cup of water and add grated jaggery.
When the jaggery dissolves completely in water, strain it to remove dust and sand particles.
Add the strained jaggery juice again in the pan, and keep it in flame.

When the the jaggery juice starts to boil and become thick, add grated coconut, cardamom powder and stir well continuously till it roll like a ball and does not stick the sides of the pan.

This is the correct consistency to remove from flame. Take the coconut pooranam in a plate and allow it to cool off.

 

Make small balls out of the pooranam and keep it in a plate
Now take a bowl and add rice and all purpose flour and add pinch of kesari powder and add water to make it like a bajji flour.

Heat oil in a pan, and test the oil by adding a drop of maida and rice flour and when the flour raises immediately in the oil, then the oil is in correct hot and we can proceed with the modhagam.
Now take 1 ball of coconut pooranam and dip it in maida-rice flour mixture and drop it in oil. Repeat this step for next 4 balls of pooranam.

 

Deep fry the modhagam till it becomes crisp and golden color.
Remove the modhagam from flame and keep it in strainer/tissue to remove excess oil.
 

The delicious modhagam is ready for serving and also for neivedhyam.

Like this type of Kozhakattai? Check here for more Kozhakattai recipes, Uluthamparuppu poorana kozhakattai,
Thenga poorna kozhukattai