Modak

Steamed sweet rice flour dumplings — rice flour kneaded with hot water into a smooth, silky dough (the heat gelatinises the starch and makes the dough pliable without cracking), divided into small balls, each portion pressed into a thin cup, filled with a freshly cooked stuffing of freshly grated coconut dry-cooked with jaggery, cardamom, and poppy seeds until the mixture thickens to a firm, fragrant paste, the edges of the dough cup pleated into a pointed top — the traditional pinched design requires ten to fourteen pleats for a properly formed modak — and steamed for fifteen minutes until the rice shell is translucent, slightly shiny, and soft. Served hot with a drizzle of ghee. The modak is Lord Ganesha's favourite offering; every Ganesh Chaturthi puja requires 21 modaks made by the household. The combination of rice flour shell's subtle flavour against the sweet, chewy coconut-jaggery filling is the taste of Maharashtra's most sacred festival.