For the filling:

2 cups shredded fresh coconut
1 cup jaggery
1 teaspoon roasted poppy seeds
1 teaspoon rice flour
3-4 cardamoms For the outer cover:

For Outer Cover:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ghee
1/2 teaspsoon oil
a pinch of salt 

1. To make the filling, combine and cook coconut and jaggery
together on medium heat. Stir continuously until they are 
mixed
properly. Do not overcook.

2. Add cardamom powder, roasted poppy seeds and 1 teaspoon 
rice
flour to it. and cook for some time. The filling is ready now.
Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.

3. Next step is to make the outer cover. This has to be done 
very
carefully. The dough should be neither too sticky nor too dry.

4. Boil 1 cup of water. When bubbles rise on top, add ghee, 
salt
and oil and immediately add rice flour. Stir well. Cover for 
some
time. Remove the lid and stir again and again cover for a 
minute. 

5. Then remove from heat. Take all the mixture in a flat 
plate.
Knead it properly while hot (You can use a flat bowl for 
kneading
to keep the hands from burning). Make a soft pliable dough.

6. Divide this dough into small balls. 

7. Roll each ball into 1.5 inch diameter circle. Hold it in a
hand and make a small bowl of it. Put some coconut filling 
into
this bowl shaped dough. Dip thumb and index finger in the oil 
and
make 5-6 small pinches side by side on the edges of the bowl.
Bring them together, join to form a peak. It should look like 
a
whole garlic.

8. Like this, prepare all modaks. Spread a damp cloth onto a 
flat
round sifter and arrange all the modaks onto it. Place the 
sifter
in a steamer and cover. Steam for about 15 minutes. Use a big
size saucepan or pressure cooker if you don't have a steamer. 
Do
not put the whistle if you use the pressure cooker.

9. Serve with the ghee. 

Tip: The proportion of water and rice flour for the cover 
should
be accurate as written above. Also it is advisable to sieve 
the
flour once.