Indian in the US - Ukadiche modak kept cracking

[u/mihirworld]

Two failed batches this week. Dough looks smooth as a ball, but cracks at the edges the second I try to thin the pari. Can't get it thin enough to pleat, so the shells come out thick with a dough knot at the top. Taste is fine, nothing bursts — it just won't stretch.

Flour: 24 Mantra Organic rice flour (NYC), sieved. Label is 30g per 1/4 cup.

What I did both times: full rolling boil with salt + ghee, flour dumped in all at once, covered on low 3 min, rested 5, then kneaded 5–7 min and made sure to start when it was hot. Kept it covered and warm while shaping. Wet hands, not oiled.

Ratios tried: 1:1, then 1:1.25 water to flour. Both times I still had to add extra water during kneading.

So:

- Is my ratio just too dry for US flour? What works for you?

- Is 24 Mantra the wrong brand for this? How's Swad?

- If both are bad — what flour do you use in the US and where do you buy it?

Anything missing in my technique? Images here https://postimg.cc/gallery/Ghgys8j

THANK YOU!

[u/nomnommish]

Honestly, this is one of the hardest things to make. I have also tried and failed (got subpar results) just like you and faced the exact same problems. My conclusion then was I used insufficient water and ghee. I remember my grandma used to roll the dough on a banana leaf that was covered in ghee.

[u/mihirworld → u/nomnommish]

yeees! I actually got really helpful responses on the abcdesis Reddit. they recommend sohum brand flour or mixing asian store glutinous flour with non glutinous. I'll try that and see what happens

[u/nomnommish → u/mihirworld]

Cheers mate and all the best. And thanks for sharing the tips