Rice paper Modak roll is crispy sweet, a quick and easy unique Prasad idea for Indian festivals when you have no time to make from scratch. The method is a perfect blend between the traditional Indian sweet Modak and Pootharekulu. The rich coconut flavor stands out in this recipe and well complimented with the earthy sweetness of jaggery.
These Rice paper Modak roll need very little ingredients and an ideal beginner and bachelor friendly recipe anyone could try.Traditional Modak making needs exceptional skill to get the pleats right on the outer edges of the finicky rice flour dough. Most often the rice flour we get abroad may not be of good quality. The gluten make the rice flour pliable and elastic this helps in maintain perfect shape including the pointed peak tip without cracking and filling leaks after the cooking is done. Most often the simplest of the recipes are the hardest to make perfectly. Recipe courtesy : Blend with spices
What is rice paper ?
The Vietnamese Rice paper is a very thin circular rice based edible sheets. The starch allows the moist sheets to become pliable and flexible to wrap fresh ingredients into a roll. They are ready to use, available in various sizes and comes in a pack of 10 or more.
The ingredients of the food rice paper include white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, and water. The tapioca powder makes the rice paper glutinous and smooth. It is usually sold dried in thin, crisp, translucent round sheets.
Rice paper is available in most Asian grocery stores in their international aisle. The ones I used here is 100% vegetarian and made from plant based product. Definitely read the ingredients label before you buy.
Ready to use rice paper rolls are very easy to make and almost fail proof.
Why you should try this recipe?
Compared to traditional Modak these rolls are a breeze to make. If you live abroad or do have the Modak mold then this is an easy Prasad to make
- Taste : These Modak rolls are extremely light and crispy. The coconut and jaggery with a little ghee and cardamom tastes heavenly.
- Texture: The outer covering of the rice paper is extremely thin and crispy and filling is lightly moist inside.
- Time: Takes max 10 minutes to get the filling ready and roll the paperand another 6 minutes to shallow fry the roll.
- Ease : With readymade rice paper and easily available other ingredients these rolls can be made year round.
Ingredients for rice paper Modak roll :
How to get perfect rolls?
- Rice paper is vey brittle and once soaked and looses it shape it is hard to handle. Hence the trick is to quickly soak and once it is slightly pliable immediately start filling and roll.
- Do not leave rice paper in water for more than 2-3 seconds as it will quickly turn soggy and not usable for rolls. Make sure you work quickly without casing tears on the paper.
- It is better to use large size rice paper as small ones do not enough space to roll and give firmness to roll.
- Once rolled do not let the rolls touch each other as they will quickly stick to each other and cannot be separated.
- Make sure fry in small batches. Each side takes 3-4 minutes to crisp up nicely.
- Make sure to serve hot as the rolls cool down the paper gets a leathery texture and looses crispness.
- Make sure coconut is not roasted too much as the moisture is lost and flavor of it changes.
Step pics for making rice paper Modak :
Do not sauté the coconut for long as it will become dry and course. We are looking for a moisture and nutty flavored coconut with sweetness of jaggery and
While soaking the rice paper quickly work on moistening and removing else the paper will get soggy and useless for wrapping.
Do not add too much filling as the wrapping paper may tear while frying.
Roll the Modak a couple of times so it sticks well to the layers inside. Gently fry by turning it once or twice until crisp only.
Add very little ghee and shallow fry the roll just until crisp else the rice paper will become really tough and hard to eat. Smear the saffron on the most brown area so the entire roll does not become too soggy.
Other festival recipes to try are
Rice paper Modak roll
Ingredients
- 6-7 Rice papers large
- 1.5 cup Coconut grated
- 1 tbsp Jaggery grated
- 3-4 tsp Ghee For adding in filling and frying
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
Garnish
- Few Saffron strands
- 1 tbsp Sugar syrup
Instructions
- Soak a few saffron strands in 1 tbsp of sugar syrup.Keep aside for garnish
- Make the filling by sautéing the coconut in low to medium flame until half the moisture evaporates.Add the jaggery once it combines with coconut add ghee and cardamom powder and mix well. Keep aside to cool slightly.
- In a wide plate pour some cool water and quickly soak the rice paper completely. Keep it on a dry plate add the filling in the center cover and roll by tucking both the side to a cylindrical shape.Once rolled keep the rolls without touching each other.
- Heat ghee in the same pan and shallow fry the rolls until both sides are nice and crisp. Remove from heat and garnish with a saffron strand on each roll along with sugar syrup.Serve Modak immediately before it looses its crispness.
Notes
- Rice paper can turn very hard if fried for long.
- These rolls turn soft when kept for long after heating the rolls.
- These rolls taste best when eaten immediately after making.
Leave a Reply