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Traditional modak recipe : Ganesh chaturthi naivedyam, prasadam, bhog for Lord Ganapati.
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5 from 13 votes

Modak | Konkani Banana Modak Recipe | Kele Mulik

Modak is a very popular naivedyam recipe prepared for lord Ganesha (Ganapati) on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and Sankashti Chaturthi. Today's post is all about banana modak, also known as kele mulik, a traditional fried modak recipe from Konkani cuisine. I call it an Indian-style donut hole. These modaks can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert, sweets
Cuisine: Coastal Karnataka, Konkani, Mangalore, Udupi
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 30 modaks
Calories: 53kcal
Author: Kushi

Equipment

  • Pan for frying

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Wheat flour (Atta)
  • 2 small Bananas , ripe
  • ¾ cup Jaggery or Brown sugar (reduce it to ½ cup for mild sweetness)
  • 1 tablespoon Coconut , grated (Fresh, dry or frozen)
  • 2 tablespoon Poha or Flattened rice
  • 2 tablespoon Semolina (Suji rava)
  • teaspoon Salt, pinch
  • 2 teaspoon Ghee
  • ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
  • Oil or Ghee for frying

Instructions

  • I have used 2 small ripe bananas. If using a long variety, just add one.
  • Grind together banana, jaggery, coconut, poha, and semolina, adding very little water to form a thick, smooth paste.
    2 small Bananas, ¾ cup Jaggery, 1 tablespoon Coconut, 2 tablespoon Poha, 2 tablespoon Semolina
  • Transfer the ground paste to a bowl. Add the wheat flour, salt, ghee, and cardamom powder and mix well. Here, the amount of wheat flour you add may vary based on the water you have added while grinding. This batter should be medium thick, as shown.
    1 cup Wheat flour, ⅛ teaspoon Salt, pinch, 2 teaspoon Ghee, ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
    Step by step pictures on making of fried modak (kele mulik).
  • Heat oil or ghee for frying. Once the oil is hot, drop a spoonful of batter 6 to 8 times based on the size of the pan and fry in medium flame till it becomes golden brown on all sides. Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
    Oil
  • Serve with desi ghee and enjoy. Ganapati bappa Moraya. 
  • You can also make this on other days for a quick evening snack and serve with a cup of filter coffee or Indian chai tea. 

Notes

  • The amount of jaggery you add may vary depending on the sweetness of the banana.
  • Drop a small batter to check if the oil is hot. It should sizzle and come up. You should fry modak only on medium flame; otherwise, it will turn black soon.
  • Do not overcrowd the pan. The amount of modak you add may vary depending on the size of your pan.
  • You can add semolina (suji rava) while grinding or along with wheat flour.
  • Love the crunch, then add small pieces of cashews to the batter. 
  • You can also check the video on making jackfruit mulik using rice rava as the main ingredient
  • You can skip poha and add ¼ cup of grated coconut or vice versa.

Nutrition

Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 0.2mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg