We Made Modaks At IFN & APB Cook Studio's First Community Cook-Ups!

Happy people pose for the camera post a workshop on modaks.

We celebrated our first-ever Community Cook-Up on Thursday at the APB Cook Studio. Needless to say, it was fun!

India Food Network chefs, Preetha Srinivasan, Roopa Nabar and Archana Arte came together to make Ganpati's favourite foods specific to their communities. While Preetha showed everyone to make Ulundu Kozhukattai, a crescent-shaped modak with a savoury filling, Roopa focused on Patoli, a sweet pancake typically prepared along the western coast of India. Keeping the festive tradition alive, the participants of the workshop got down to fill and shape Ukadiche modaks with IFN's favourite, Archana tai. All the energy culminated into devouring the traditional goodies and everyone sharing their festive food recipes.

IFN chef Archana tai shows how to shape modaks.

Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal, founder of APB Cook Studio, who has curated a series of Community Cook-Ups in the following months with IFN says, "Having successfully organised food events over the past four years, a collaboration with India Food Network is a great partnership between two entities committed to bringing food communities together by organising memorable food events. After all, food traditions can only survive if they are practiced."

Patolis prepared by Roopa Nabar.

The timing was therefore just right to launch our first Community Cook-Up, which focused on Ganpati recipes prepared across regional India. What made the workshop special were the interesting stories around festival foods. Each dish had a different story to tell we thought.

Ukadiche modaks being steamed.

Be it Preetha's offbeat savoury modak or Roopa's patoli, an elaborate recipe that is prepared smearing rice flour batter on turmeric leaves and stuffing it with a coconut and jaggery filling, it was the enthusiasm of the participants that made this cook-up a success. Archana tai's simple instructions while shaping the modaks brought everyone together at the table!

WATCH: Ukadiche Modak by Archana Arte

Preetha's Ulundu Kozhukattai are ready to be eaten.

With an aim to revive food traditions during festivals, Rushina plans to host similar cook-ups on Diwali and Christmas that will demonstrate heirloom recipes and stories from the community kitchens.

Watch what we did in this video.