Mawa Modak

Name: Mawa Modak
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 cups khoya (mawa), crumbled; ½ cup powdered sugar; ½ tsp green cardamom powder; A generous pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk; 1 tbsp ghee, for the mould; 2 tbsp chopped pistachios (optional)

मावा मोदक

By Pooja H · 25 min · serves 12

Cook mode, timers and a grocery list — join the Zaika waitlist

Pleated conical modaks topped with saffron strands on a brass plate — Photo: Pinaki Panda / Pexels

The modak you can make without a steamer and without wrestling rice-flour dough — khoya cooked down with sugar and saffron, then pressed into a mould. It sets as it cools, so the mixture has to go into the mould while it is still warm enough to take the shape and cool enough to hold it. That window is about five minutes wide, which is why the mould gets greased before the pan goes on.

Ingredients

2 cups khoya (mawa), crumbled2 cups khoya (mawa), crumbled
½ cup powdered sugar½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp green cardamom powder½ tsp green cardamom powder
A generous pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milkA generous pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
1 tbsp ghee, for the mould1 tbsp ghee, for the mould
2 tbsp chopped pistachios (optional)2 tbsp chopped pistachios (optional)

Method

1Grease the modak mould with ghee and set it where you can reach it. Once the mixture is ready it will not wait.
2Cook the crumbled khoya in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring, until it loosens and turns glossy — pale, not browned. This is the opposite of a Mathura peda; colour here is a fault.8 min
3Stir in the saffron milk and cardamom, then take the pan off the heat.
4Let it cool for a few minutes, then work in the powdered sugar. Off the heat, or the sugar melts and the mixture will not set.5 min
5While it is still warm, press small portions into the greased mould, close it, trim any overflow, and unmould onto a plate.10 min
6Top each with a strand of saffron or a few chopped pistachios and leave them to firm up for half an hour.

Prefer to cook in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali or another language? Save this into the Zaika app and the method reads in yours.

Nutrition

Estimated, per serving.

Calories: 135
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 14 g
Fat: 7 g

This recipe was written for the Zaika app

Step timers on the method, the whole thing readable in your own language, and the ingredients on a grocery list split by the shops you actually use. It is not out yet — join the waitlist and we will email you once, when it is real.

Join the waitlist →