Ukadiche Modak (Steamed rice-flour modak with coconut and jaggery)

Directions

1. Make the filling first, because it must be cold before you use it. Warm the coconut and jaggery together in a pan on low heat, stirring, until the jaggery melts and the mixture comes together — about 8 minutes. It should look moist and glossy, not wet. Stir in the cardamom, nutmeg and poppy seeds, then spread it on a plate to cool.
2. Bring the water to a rolling boil with the salt and 1 tsp ghee. Turn the heat right down, tip in all the rice flour at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon until no dry flour is left. Cover and leave off the heat for 5 minutes.
3. Tip the hot dough onto a greased plate and knead it while it is still warm — as warm as your hands can bear. Keep going for a full 5 minutes, until it is smooth and does not crack when you press the edge with your thumb.
4. Grease your palms. Take a ball the size of a lime and flatten it into a cup about 3 inches wide, keeping the rim thin and the base slightly thicker. Spoon in about 1½ teaspoons of filling.
5. Pinch the rim into 9 or 11 small pleats — always an odd number — then gather the pleats together and twist gently into a peak.
6. Steam on a greased plate or a banana leaf for 10 to 12 minutes. They are ready when the surface turns glossy and slightly translucent instead of chalky white. Serve warm with a spoonful of ghee poured over.