Why Not Everything Shaped Like a Modak is Truly a Modak
The Sweet Symbol of Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi, which falls this year on 27th August 2025, marks the grand arrival of Lord Ganesha into homes and pandals across India. At the heart of the celebrations lies the modak, believed to be Ganesha’s favourite sweet. While countless variations of modaks flood the markets during this season, like chocolate modaks, dry fruit modaks, fusion modaks, one question remains: Is everything shaped like a modak really a modak?
What is an Authentic Modak?
According to Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, it is one of the favourite dishes of Ganesha and the Buddha and is therefore used in prayers. The sweet filling inside a modak consists of freshly grated coconut and jaggery, while the outer soft shell is made from rice flour or wheat flour mixed with khowa or maida flour. (Wikipedia)
The Essence of a Traditional Modak
Let me begin with Maharashtra, and Bombay, the city in which I was born and raised. The authentic ukadiche modak from Maharashtra defines what a true modak is:
- Flour covering: typically rice flour dough, soft yet sturdy.
- Sweet filling: usually jaggery and grated coconut, sometimes flavoured with cardamom and nutmeg.
- Steamed: keeping the dish wholesome and sattvic.
This humble preparation, made painstakingly at home, is not just food, it is a ritual, an offering, and a gesture of devotion.
South Indian Traditions: Kozhakattai and the Savoury Twist
Now let me take you further to Tamil Nadu, where my ancestors lived before they moved to Bombay. In South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, the modak finds its sibling or twin in the kozhakattai (kozhukattai), prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi (Vinayaka Chaturthi). Unlike the singular sweet focus in Maharashtra, Tamil homes prepare an array of kozhakattai varieties:
- Sweet kozhakattai: filled with coconut and jaggery (very close to the Maharashtrian style). These are generally round.
- Ellu kozhakattai: filled with sesame and jaggery, linking to traditions of health and prosperity. These are generally oblong.
- Modakam: filled with chana dal, coconut, and jaggery, supposed to be a favourite of the elephant God. These look more like modaks that have a pointy top.
- Savoury kozhakattai: filled with spiced urad dal, curry leaves, and red chilies or pepper, that cut through the sweetness of the day offering a balanced festive platter. These are again oblong.
The Outer Cover is the Distinguisher
The common factor here is the flour covering: made with rice batter or pounded moist rice. The cover of the South Indian kozhakattais are thinner as compared to their Maharashtrian counterparts. The filling or the pooran has to be visible enough to add to the visibility factor. The more transparent the cover the more versatile the ‘kozhakattai moulder’ is certified to be. Of course, the senior most women in the family like a granny/paati awarded these certificates. The kozhakattais are moulded in different shapes to enable one to easily identify their favouritie ones and choose them.
The transparency is made possible due to the use of finely ground soaked rice, which used to be the Surti Kolam or Ponni variety in our home, but we slowly graduated to the fragrant Basmati rice. Here’s the recipe to make the dough for the cover.
This diversity reflects the regional richness of India, where the modak takes many forms but retains its essence of flour shell and thoughtful filling.
The Advent of Kaju Modaks
When we thought all was authentic in the ‘modak land’, there came Kaju Modaks. The very first memories of Kaju Modaks are the ones factory made by AA Sweets. These were just their kesar-kaju toffees, and kaju-wadis shaped like modaks and beautifully packed. These made great gifts during the festival as they lasted longer than their steamed versions and were less messier to carry around. I as a kid, indulged in these, as they were just toffees. I think, that precisely was when modaks were modernised and reinvented.
But Not All Modaks are Modaks
In recent years, the market has exploded with modak-inspired desserts. I have been noticing the digital marketing space, and the newspapers filled with visuals and photographs of modak variants, each variant trying to outdo the other. They need to have the visual appeal, and today moulds come free with even the rice flour for making modaks. Anything and everything shaped like a modak is splashed everywhere, peeping at us from sweet shops, Instagram feeds, YouTube videos, food columns, magazines, etc. A few examples could be:
- Chocolate modaks shaped in modak moulds. These are mostly made with compound which is easy to mould, but they even come in dark, milk, white, gold, ruby, marble and more mix and match variants.
- Dry fruit laddoos moulded like modaks
- Motichoor laddoos and pedhas shaped like modaks
- Kaju katlis shaped like modaks
- Sugar-free mithai made with figs or dates shaped like modaks
- Modak inspired cakes and entremets
- Ice cream modaks and even cheesecake modaks
The Difference Between Modaks and Modak-Inspired Sweets
While these creations are innovative and festive, they often strip away the defining characteristics of a modak, its steamed rice flour shell and soulful filling. As food lovers, it’s worth celebrating the difference between authentic modaks and modak-shaped novelties.
The Marketing Wave Around Modaks
Festivals today are also marketing milestones. Brands, right from sweet shops to FMCG giants use digital marketing strategies to ride the festive wave:
- Digital Rakshabandhan campaigns earlier in the month smoothly transition into Ganesh Chaturthi campaigns, spotlighting modaks.
- Food brands release “easy modak mixes,” while restaurants curate modak festivals with innovative flavours.
- On social media, hashtags like #ModakMagic, #GaneshChaturthi2025, #UkadicheModak, #Kozhakattai trend as both individuals and brands share recipes, photos, and festive stories.
For Ganesh Chaturthi 2025, one might already have been witnessing campaigns around authentic vs fusion modaks, influencer collaborations on recipes, and e-commerce tie-ups for gifting boxes.
Modaks Beyond Sweets: A Symbol of Care
Whether it’s the soft jaggery-coconut filling of a Maharashtrian modak or the unique savoury spiced urad dal of Tamil Nadu’s kozhakattai in addition to the sweet ones, these dishes symbolise care, protection, and nourishment, perfectly aligning with the spirit of ‘Raksha’ that carries over from Rakshabandhan earlier in August.
Is the Modak Evolving or Diluting?
Food culture is always evolving, but the question remains: is innovation overshadowing authenticity? While fusion modaks attract curiosity, there is a growing movement towards preserving traditional recipes. The return to homemade, steamed modaks reflects a desire for authenticity, health, and cultural connection in an increasingly modern, digital-first India. More than anything, modak making is also a culinary art, which many seem to be unaware of. But one can innovate, while not deviating from the original modak format or composition. The gentle addition of khoya, cashew nut powder/paste to the filling, or say a hint of saffron to the filling and the cover, elevate the modaks giving them a luxurious edge without compromising on traditions or originality. An innovation like Gulkand Modak in the video, is a fine balance between innovation and tradtion.
Storytelling with Ganesha: Childhood Memories in the Kitchen
In South Indian homes modak moulding has been an all-family activity; moulding them and getting them ready to be steamed, and offered to the God as ‘naivedyam’. It was also a perfect time for some gossip, commenting on modak making skills in other homes, and lessons on modak making. The highlight of this activity used to be the storytelling that accompanied these sessions. Of course, sharp eyes watched away and good moulding skills were highly appreciated. The stories of Lord Ganesha while making kozhakattai together, made the whole experience truly divine. Be it the story of Ganesha getting the elephant head, or even Kubera making a feast for Lord Ganesha, these never got boring, making one feel like it was the first time the story was being told. The Kubera story has been wonderfully retold in English in an enchanting lyrical format with a catchy tune by Karadi Tales which I have enjoyed telling my kids. Here, Kubera, the God of Wealth, is not able to satiate Lord Ganesha’s appetite in spite of serving the best, richest, choicest, and tastiest feast.
Maharashtrian families also have the elaborate modak moulding ritual as they bond over late-night modak-making sessions. With urban kids today learning recipes off YouTube or engaging with digital cook-alongs, festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi are becoming opportunities to bridge generations through storytelling, cooking, and shared meals. While there exist so many videos on making ukadiche modak, we at SocioSpiel simply love this one; a video submitted by a school kid for our contest Cook a Dream Challenge, a cookery contest held during the lockdown. Here’s a thank you to Arnav Riswadkar for taking us through the authentic ‘ukadiche modak route’.
Modak as a Living Tradition
This Ganesh Chaturthi, as you prepare or buy modaks, pause and reflect: are you tasting a true modak, or just a modak-shaped sweet? The answer matters less than the spirit it embodies, which are devotion, care, and community. But for those who wish to uphold tradition, nothing matches the authenticity of steamed ukadiche modaks or the array of kozhakattais from South India.
Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festival; it’s an annual reminder that food traditions, when kept alive, keep us connected to our roots.
By Deepa Natarajan, Editor, Socio Center