Ukdiche Modak and Ghee: A Ganesh Chaturthi Tradition

Every year, as Ganesh Chaturthi approaches, kitchens across Maharashtra fill with the smell of steamed rice flour and jaggery — ukdiche modak, Lord Ganesha's favourite sweet, and a dish nearly every Maharashtrian household makes at home rather than buys.

Ukdiche modak are deceptively simple: a soft, translucent covering of steamed rice flour, filled with a mixture of fresh coconut and jaggery, shaped into the distinctive pleated dome and steamed until glossy. They're not overly sweet, not heavy, and meant to be eaten warm, straight out of the steamer.

There's one small step that makes the biggest difference, and it's the one most people don't skip: a generous spoon of melted ghee poured right over the top just before serving. The rice flour covering is naturally quite plain on its own — good ghee is what carries the rest of the flavour, adds richness, and keeps the modak from drying out as they cool. It's not an optional garnish; for most families, it's simply how modak are eaten.

This only works, though, if the ghee itself is good. Store-bought ghee that's been sitting on a shelf for months doesn't melt the same way, and doesn't taste like much. Farmermade ghee — the kind made the way it's always been made, in small batches, without shortcuts — melts into the modak properly and actually tastes like something.

If you're making modak this Ganesh Chaturthi, we've put together the full step-by-step recipe for ukdiche modak on our Recipes page. And if you'd like real farmermade desi cow ghee to go with it, that's what we make — you can reach us on WhatsApp or by phone, and we deliver across Borivali, Dahisar, Kandivali and Malad.