In good Taste

The 10-day Ganeshotsav is mostly about tradition. But festival food is open to experimentation and innovation. While one does look forward to the typical Ukadiche Modak, a heavenly mixture of coconut and jaggery parcelled in dough made of rice flour, steamed and served with a generous helping of hot molten ghee, it is also fun to try newer varieties. We’re not just talking about swapping the filling, but also trying to reconstruct the dish in various ways. Interestingly, there are outlets in the city which are offering unique innovations.  

Red Velvet Modak
The Sassy Teaspoon has introduced a box of Assorted Chocolate Modak as part of their festive specials. Along with the dark chocolate and milk chocolate varieties, which have been around for some time, they have a Red Velvet Modak that caught our attention. 

Rachel Goenka, founder and CEO of The Chocolate Spoon Company, which owns the pâtisserie brand The Sassy Teaspoon, is always up for the challenge of introducing innovative desserts. Turning what can be called the most photogenic pastry into a modak was a striking idea, but what led her to it? 

“Red velvet is one of my signature recipes and I really wanted to adapt the cake into a modak for a more contemporary flavour,” she says, adding, “We did these modaks last year and they were received so well that we decided to do them this year too. We had a tremendous number of orders from corporates as well as our regular customers. Many people have ordered these modaks for gifting as well.”

Make no mistake — there is no rice flour covering involved. The shell is made of white chocolate garnished with a little bit of red here and there. For those who like white chocolate, this is milky bliss. But filling is where all the real fun is hidden. “I’ve used my sponge recipe and cream cheese as a filling,” reveals Goenka. 

And you can taste the excellence too. The filling tastes like light sponge cake mashed with cream cheese to make a smooth mixture, and it’s the right colour to give you the real feel of red velvet too. Since the chocolate exterior is sweet, the filling is made to balance it out so you don’t feel nauseated with too much sugar. 

You can pick up a box of six or twelve pieces at their outlets in Koregaon Park, Westend Mall (Aundh) and Creaticity Mall (Yerwada), or order it online on Zomato and Swiggy. These Red Velvet Modaks are 100 per cent vegetarian, as are their other chocolate versions. And though these are nothing like their traditional counterparts, as long as they are shaped like modaks, they qualify to be appropriate sweet somethings to distribute as gifts or even prasad.

Ice Cream Modak
Modak has got a little twist with the Ice-cream Modak. If you want to enjoy the taste, then head to Samudra, Nal Stop, Erandwane and try the Ice-Cream Modak, which not only looks like the traditional Ukadiche Modak, but tastes like one too. 

Ajay Shetty, owner, Samudra, says that the response to this innovative dish has been very welcoming. “We sold out four litres of this ice-cream in two days. People are just loving the flavour,” he says, informing us that the ice cream is sourced from Icestasy Projects, a Mumbai-based company that is into producing gourmet ice creams. 

When we tasted the ice cream, we found it both yummy and refreshing. There were two layers, the Ukadiche Modak flavoured ice cream is covered with an exterior that tastes like Shankarpali. The dish is topped with a sauce made with  jaggery, coconut milk and elaichi powder, which feels like a celebration in your mouth. The exterior is crunchy and goes perfectly with the ice cream. We enjoyed every bite. 

Telling us more about the concept behind the dish, Parag Chaphekar, CEO and co-founder, Icestasy Projects, says that they produce several ice creams that are inspired by Indian sweets. “Modak is a flavour which we launched two years back. We wanted an ice-cream flavour that is true to the original taste of Ukadiche Modak. We have used all the ingredients which are used in the preparation of the actual Ukadiche Modak such as coconut, jaggery and so on,” he says. 

Chaphekar says that a lot of thought went into the presentation of the dish as well. “We wanted to give it the same shape as a modak, so we started experimenting with various ideas one month before last Ganeshotsav. We tried different combinations but nothing seemed to work. Finally, a couple of months back, we decided to give it a hard shell by using Shankarpali dough, and it worked. There were certain challenges but we overcame them,” he says, adding that they had to ensure that the taste of the shell did not overpower the ice-cream flavour, or became too hard due to the cold and ended up spoiling the entire experience of the dish. 
 
“When you eat a traditional Ukadiche Modak, you pour ghee on top to enhance the taste. The sauce in this dish does the same job as we have tried to recreate the entire experience of having an actual modak,” says Chaphekar, adding that they supply the three elements that make the dish — the Shankarpali exterior, the Ukadiche Modak ice cream and the flavourful sauce, separately.

Icestasy Projects also makes Puranpoli, Tilgul and several other flavours. Fresh fruits and exotic flavours like avocado and hazel nut too are part of the range.

Pizza Potli
Everyone’s favourite food — pizza — has taken the avatar of a modak this year. Nukkad Cafe at Viman Nagar kicked off the Ganapati festival by offering a ‘modakified pizza’ called Pizza Potlis on their menu. 

Vaibhav Paliwal, owner, Nukkad Cafe, says that they were inspired by the wide popularity of fried pizza in Italy and tried to see if they can twist the dish around into a modak. “Unlike a regular pizza that is made using a flat base, the Potli Pizza has pizza toppings used as stuffing enveloped in pizza dough and deep fried. This makes it a fast food dish that can be enjoyed on the go.” Needless to say, they were successful. 

Paliwal explains that their creation is a blend of Indian and Italian street food. “These potlis, with both sweet and savoury stuffings, are common through all regions in India. The cafe offers these ‘potli’ modaks in a variety of spicy and sweet flavours,” he says. 

The shell Cheese Corn Modak Potli reminded us of quintessential Punjabi Samosa with hints of ajwain (carom seeds), which went well with the Italian mix that was filled inside — a hearty serving of cheese, Italian spices and fresh sweet corn. We give it a thumbs up for not tasting like plain fried flour.  

The heat from deep frying the potli gave the cheese a rich gooey and creamy texture. These Pizza Potlis were served with a dash of mint mayo and ketchup, which enhanced the taste even more. Hot, cheesy and sweet — the potli had a lingering aftertaste of Sweet Corn Cheese Pizza.

We also tried their Gulkand Potli Modak, and it too did not fail to impress. The thick fried coating of the potli surprisingly went well with the sweet ambrosial gulkand stuffing inside. 

These bite-sized potlis are also available with fillings of paneer, chaat, tandoori chicken, chocolate and even kesar. Paliwal says that the potlis have already become a hit with their patrons. “Since we offer a variety of stuffings, people are coming back to try them all. The potlis go extremely well with the current weather when almost everyone craves for some fried food,” he adds. 

Modak surely excites each one of us, especially when it comes with a variety of offbeat stuffing.