Kesar Mawa Modak

What picture comes to your mind when you think of an Indian dessert made with Kesar (saffron strands)?

A sinfully rich and delicious dessert with artistic hints of yellow color, jeweled with pistachios, garnished with streaks of silver leaf, right?  

Well guess what, that’s what we are going to make today- wonderfully soft and somewhat grainy in texture Kesar Mawa Modak. 

It doesn’t get much more festive than this!

What is Kesar Mawa Modak?

Similar to pedas, this modak is the absolute best! I just love them because they are super-easy-to-make, tasty, and too festive to resist. 

In case you are unfamiliar with this term Kesar Mawa Modak, the word Kesar means saffron strands in Hindi, mawa is a term used to define sweetened milk solids, and Modak means delightful dumpling. 

Collectively it indicates, a delightful fluted confection prepared with milk solids and saffron strands.

Modak made from mawa is known as Khavyache modak in Maharashtra. 

Traditional and classic Modak

The modak recipe that I have made today is a nice variation to the traditional Ukadiche modak (pronounced as Ukadi – che). 

Ukadiche means steamed, and Ukadiche modak refers to steamed dumplings made with an outer shell of rice flour and is stuffed with a sweet filling of grated coconut and jaggery.

The beauty of Ukadiche modak lies in its pleats and folds, which requires a lot of patience and practice to make.

Ukadiche modak is very popular amongst Maharashtrians.

Why is modak prepared on Ganesh Chaturthi?

Modak is considered to be Lord Ganesha’s, favorite sweet. Hence, it is offered to him as a prasad on the festive occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. 

And the fluted shape of modak symbolizes the wealth of knowledge (enlightenment). 

Okay, so now that that’s we have learned all about modak, let’s get down to its ingredient list and making process.

Ingredients required for Kesar Mawa Modak

If you are looking for a no-fuss, simple recipe, then go for the plain Kesar mawa modak version that calls for only seven simple ingredients, without any stuffing. 

» Milk powder – It is readily available at your local grocery store in the baking section. Use the fine quality milk powder for Mawa modak. If your milk powder is granulated, pulse it in the food processor until its fine in texture. 

» Ghee – a must-have in Indian sweets. 

» Milk – lends a rich, creamy texture. 

» Sugar– Use powdered sugar, also known as confectioners sugar for this recipe. 

» Saffron strands – the main ingredient that lends a beautiful yellow color to our modak.

» Kewra essence and cardamom powder – for flavor. 

» Filling  – prepared with cashews, almonds, pistachios, unsweetened desiccated coconut, cardamom powder, and jaggery.

How to make Kesar Mawa Modak?

Pre- preparation- Before we start cooking, let’s make the saffron milk. Combine 1/4 cup milk and saffron strands in a microwavable bowl—heat for 40 seconds. Remove and mix.

Let it rest for 5 minutes, and saffron will induce a beautiful yellow color in the milk. 

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Next, combine ghee and milk powder in the pan. Soon the mixture will turn into a gooey paste. No worries, keep stirring. 

Pour in the remaining milk and saffron milk. Mix to combine. After 5 minutes into the cooking, the mawa and ghee mixture will start to thicken. Keep stirring continuously to avoid lump formation. 

Once the mixture comes together like a soft dough, take the pan off the heat. 

Set aside the Kesar mawa mixture for 5 minutes or until the mawa mixture is still warm but comfortably cool to handle.

Filling – While the mixture is resting, let’s prepare the filling. Combine slivered almonds, pistachios, desiccated coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder, and cashews in a bowl. Mix to combine. 

Once the mawa mixture is comfortable to touch, add powdered sugar, cardamom powder, and kewra essence to the Kesar mawa mix. Mix until everything is well combined.

Knead it well until it forms a soft and smooth dough. The Kesar mawa mixture for making modak is ready now. 

Brush the modak mold with some melted ghee. Once greased, take some Kesar mawa mixture and spread it on both the sides of the mold. 

Firmly press the mawa mixture around the mold. Now, press both the mold ends together to give modak its shape. Flip the mold over, and stuff the filling mixture at the bottom of the mold. 

Take a small piece of Kesar mawa and seal the bottom part. Discard the excess mawa. Give the mold a final press. 

Gently open the mold. Discard the excess mawa around the edges of the mold to give your modak an elegant look. 

Gently press it around the edges or bottom to release the modak out of its mold. Similarly, shape all the Kesar mawa modak until all the mixture is used up. 

Arrange the Mawa modak or Khavyache modak on a plate. Garnish with edible silver leaf, some saffron strands, and serve. 

Substitutions and variations!

» Don’t have mold? No problem, shape the mawa mixture into a peda.

» You can buy modal mold at your local Indian grocery store or buy it from Amazon.com. 

» You can swap kewra essence for a splash of rose water for a more pronounced fragrance. 

Different fillings!

This is a great thing about modaks; you can fill them with the filling of your choice. I have filled mine with silvered dry nuts and coconut mixture. Other favorite fillings of mine include – 

• Gulkand preserve – Jaggery in the stuffing can be replaced with a teaspoon of gulkand flavoring (rose petals jam). 
• Instead of silvered nuts, you can ground the nuts, add grated jaggery and stuff inside the modak.  

Celebrate the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi with this delicious and must-have Kesar Mawa Modak! I am sure your friends and family will relish these yummy Kesar Mawa Modaks. 

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe. Feel free to contact me with any questions or inquiries, and I would be happy to answer them.

Craving for more, try some other outstanding sweets for Ganesh Chaturthi –