Modaks to misal, Delhi tucks into Maharashtrian flavours

Even as Ganeshotsav draws to a close, the appetite for modaks and Maharashtrian fare shows no signs of slowing. If celebrity chefs steaming ukadiche modaks on your social media feed have you craving one, worry not.

Delhi is serving up plenty of Maharashtrian sweets and snacks to keep the festive flavour wholesome, authentic and nostalgic.

‘We have been making 4,000 modaks a day’For over three decades, Vibhavari Chiplunkar’s Maharashtra stall at Dilli Haat INA has been dishing out “zanzanhit, chatpatit, kurkurit” flavours to Dilliwallahs. She says, “During Ganpati, there is a special demand for food that reminds people of home, and the demand for ukadiche modak tops it all.

Even this year, my team has been making over 4,000 modaks a day. The orders for traditional modaks started flowing in a fortnight before Ganpati’s arrival.”Bombay Boy’s founder Nishit Dalal, who has been serving Maharashtrian food in the capital, echoes the sentiment. He says, “More and more people in NCR are welcoming Ganpati Bappa at home and so they search for the traditional modaks as well. This is the third year of making ukadiche modak for Delhi, and each passing year there’s a bigger demand.

We made around 50kgs of modaks on day one of the festival.”

The making of ukadiche modakSteamed to perfection, ukadiche modaks are soft rice-flour dumplings filled with a fragrant mixture of coconut, jaggery, khus, saffron, and cardamom. In the traditional way of serving, the tip is gently cracked open and a drizzle of ghee completes the delicacy. Meanwhile, the fried variety of modak is made of all-purpose flour and the filling contains sugar, khoya, coconut, dry fruits and spices

Maharashtrian food faves