Instant Mawa Modak

Instant Mawa Modak is the perfect recipe to celebrate the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. These modaks are very quick, soft, and tasty. Mawa modaks are made with milk powder, milk, sugar, ghee, saffron, and cardamom powder.

Mawa modaks are similar to pedas and they taste so delicious. Generally pedas are shaped round with different flavors and decorated with some design. Instant mawa modak is a fluted shaped peda recipe, absolutely irresistible, and melts in your mouth.

Traditional mawa modaks take a long time to prepare as milk is cooked on low heat to form into milk solids. After that sugar is added into the solidified milk and some flavoring. Instant mawa modak can be made in a jiffy with milk powder. They will be ready in under 25 minutes and taste equally delicious.  

There are various flavors of mawa modak in the modern world. The basic recipe is made with milk solids and sugar. There are few flavors which are added while making modak like cardamom, saffron, chocolate, rose, strawberry, mango, and much more. I am sharing the instant mawa modak recipe with cardamom and saffron in this post. 

I am a little late to post this recipe as we were busy moving into our new place. Ganesh festival is still going on so thought of posting on Tuesday which is Ganpati Day.

Ganpati Bappa Moraya! 

What Is Modak?

Modak is an Indian sweet dumpling. It is considered to be Lord Ganesha’s favorite sweet dish and is offered to him as a prasad on Ganesh Chaturthi.

Modak has different names in different regions in India like modagam, undrallu, or modhaka. They are made with different stuffings and flavors. 

In the state of Maharashtra, there are 3 basic types of modaks. 

1. Ukadiche Modak – Steamed Modak 

Made with rice flour and coconut-jaggery filling.

2. Talalele Modak – Fried Modak

Made with all purpose flour and coconut-jaggery filling.

3. Khavyache Modak – Mawa Modak

Made with milk solids and sugar. 

Mawa modak and fried modak have a very good shelf life and can be easily distributed among people after Ganesh pooja.

Ukadiche modak can be eaten fresh with some clarified ghee. These require a lot of patience and practice while making them.

Ingredients

• Milk powder
• Milk
• Sugar
• Ghee
• Saffron
• Cardamom powder

Instant Mawa Modak Step By Step Recipe

Making Mawa  

In a small bowl, add 2 tbsp warm milk, some saffron strands, and let them sit to release a beautiful yellow color in the milk.

In a wide heavy bottomed pan, add some milk powder, sugar, and milk. Mix everything together into a smooth batter.

Next, heat the pan on medium low heat, add 1 tsp ghee, and mix everything well.

Keep on stirring the mixture frequently for 7-8 minutes. Now add saffron flavored milk and keep cooking for another 5 minutes.

Now add 1 tsp ghee and keep cooking for another 2-3 minutes or until mawa mixture will start to thicken. 

Keep stirring continuously for about 2 minutes to avoid forming lumps in the mixture and switch off the heat.

Next, add some freshly ground cardamom powder and mix it well. Set the mixture aside for 5-7 minutes or until warm to handle. 

Knead the mixture to form a smooth dough before shaping into the modak.

Shaping Modak

Brush the modak mold with some ghee from each side. Place some saffron strands in the cavity of the mold if you wish. 

Take the mawa mixture, spread it on both sides of the mold, and press the mixture well. 

Close the mold to give a modak shape and remove any excess mawa mixture by firmly pressing the mixture around the mold.

Firmly press the mixture once again and slowly open the mold. Release the modak out of the mold and place it onto a plate.

Repeat the same with the remaining mawa mixture. Let the mawa modaks air dry for some time before storing them.

Tips For Making Instant Mawa Modak

• Mixing the ingredients together before starting cooking is very important. It helps not to form any lumps while cooking the mawa mixture.
• Keep the mixture stirring in a circular motion frequently to avoid forming lumps in the mixture.
• Do not rush to cook the mawa mix faster or else it will give some burnt taste to the modak.
• If you find the mawa mixture is more dry while shaping the modak, you can heat the mixture on a low flame by adding 1-2 tbsp milk. You can also add some melted ghee to make it a little soft.
• If the mixture is too wet, cook for a couple of minutes so it will become a bit dry, and then shape into modak.
• If the mixture is too soft and you are not able to form into modak shape, place the mixture in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. 

Variations

• Don’t have modak mold?  Shape the mixture into a round shape, make a thumb impression in the middle, and place one sliced pistachio piece. You may also find the modak mold in an Indian grocery store or on amazon.com 

• You can skip adding cardamom or saffron if you wish.
• You can add a splash of kewra essence or rose water to change the flavors.
• Melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the modak or dip the bottom of the modak into the melted chocolate for some chocolate flavor. 

How To Store Instant Mawa Modak?

These instant mawa modak have a very good shelf life. They can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for about 7-8 days. 

Store them into the refrigerator for 12-15 days in a ziplock bag or in an airtight container.

You can store them in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Let them sit on a countertop for about 30-45 minutes before consuming or heat the required portion in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. 

DID YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE? 

If you’ve tried the Instant Mawa Modak recipe then don’t forget to rate it. 

I will love to hear from you! 

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