Modak Operandi

“It was then that I decided to introduce ukadiche modak on the menu,initially only on Tuesdays and the fortnightly Sankashti — days of Ganapati. The response was phenomenal and within six months,it became a regular item on our menu,” recounts Madhuri. Today,Amey is the only Mumbai eatery that sells this sweet over-the-counter,throughout the year. And during the Ganapati festival,Amey has been selling,on an average,nearly 1,000 pieces every day with each piece priced at Rs 20.

Ukadiche modak — essentially rice flour dumplings with a sweet filling of grated coconut,nuts and jaggery — is considered the favourite sweet of Ganesha. Yet,most sweet shops,Ganapati pandals and households prefer the mawa versions of the same. This,explains Rahul Paranjpe,the manager of Prakash,the popular Maharashtrian eatery near Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar West,is due to the cumbersome procedure that preparation of ukadiche modak entails. “Made with rice flour,coconut,jaggery and nuts,it needs to be prepared fresh and eaten on the very same day because the dumplings are steamed and the items are perishable,” explains Paranjpe.

The lengthy procedure and the short shelf-life have caused the mawa version to prevail. However,a few Maharashtrian eateries,including Prakash,are known for their ukadiche modak available during the festive Ganapati season. Prakash has been readying an order of 1,000 modaks every day of the Ganapati festival for chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Girgaum is equally famous for its old Gujarati and Maharashtrian eateries such as Panshikar Aahar,Prakash (the Dadar eatery is a branch) and B Tambe. Each takes orders for ukadiche modak,which are available only on special days — Visarjans and Sankashti.

While B Tambe Upahar Griha,having changed hands,is now called Sujata,the demand for its modaks — known for their whitest,most delicate rice covering that best complement the filling — has hardly diminished. “The kitchen staff has been retained and hence our old patrons continue to buy modaks from us,” explains the store’s owner GL Karnale.

A successful women’s cooperative,Kutumbsakhi,which has several branches across Mumbai,is known for its reasonably priced over-the-counter snacks that taste like homemade food. However,their ukadiche modak can be purchased only by ordering at least a day in advance,something their patrons claim is worth the wait.