Once again, it’s that time of the year when we celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi. This means that a variety of Modaks will be made. This year I’m sharing a recipe for easy to make Saffron Pistachio Modak.
Ganesh Chathurthi, also known as Vinayaka or Pillayar Chathurthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed Hindu God is worshipped and his blessings are always invoked for auspicious beginnings. He is also very well known for his love of good food especially sweets. Depictions of him always show him carrying a Modak (sweet) in one palm.
Modak or Modakam/ Kozhukattai as refer to them, are made and offered during Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations. They’re round in shape o the bottom with a pointy top where the dumpling wrapper is gathered and sealed. This festival and offerings are different across India though the Modak is a constant. We offer Modakam or Kozhukattai that are steam cooked rice dumplings with sweet or savoury fillings.
Deep fried Modaks made with wheat flour wrappers are made in other parts of the country. These have a longer shelf life, whereas the steamed kind must be eaten the same day they’re made. In the Northern parts of India Modak also refers to milk sweets which are shaped the same way and offered during Ganesh Chathurthi. Today’s Saffron Pistachio Modak is this type of milk based sweet.
This is an easy recipe to make provided you have two things on hand – mawa/ khoya and the mould for shaping Modak. Mawa/ khoya are thick unsweetened milk solids. It is made by slow cooking and reducing full fat milk till it all the water in milk evaporates. Mawa/ khoya can be bought from local diaries or shops in most parts of India. If you choose to make it, do it ahead, as it is a lengthy process.
The moulds are available in stores or online. They’re available in plastic, metal or wood, if you’re lucky to find them. Use the smaller moulds to make them, as these Modak are rich and should be bite-sized. If you don’t have the moulds, you can still make these. Just shape them in peds or flattish discs.
Otherwise, all you need beyond mawa/ khoya and the moulds are sugar, cardamom, saffron, a little milk to dissolve it in and pistachios. Everything goes into a thick walled pan and is cooked till it comes together as a thick dough like paste. You can adjust the consistency of the mixture with a little milk (if very crumbly) or a little bit of full fat milk powder (if not thick enough) as you cook it. This paste is then shaped while warm using the moulds. Allow them to sit, covered, overnight at room temperature to set and they’re done.
Saffron Pistachio Modak
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp warm milk
- 1 large pinch saffron strands
- 250 gm mawa/ khoya crumbled
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 3 to 4 pods cardamom crushed fine
- 2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios
Instructions
- For the saffron infusion, in a small mortar, crush the saffron into the warm milk. Alternatively, let the saffron sit in the warm milk for about 15 minutes.
- Put the well crumbled mawa/ khoya in a thick walled pan or wok with the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, till it becomes a thick paste. Stir in the saffron-milk mixture and keep cooking and stirring until it becomes thick like a dough.
- The mixture will begin to leave the sides of the pan/ wok. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes at the most. Mix in the ghee, cardamom and pistachios at this point. Take it off the heat and turn the mixture out onto a plate. Otherwise it will continue to cook in the pan/ wok and could start browning.
- Let it cool a bit until you can handle the heat comfortably. Grease your Modak mould with a little ghee. Close the mould and tightly pack a little bit of the cooked mixture into the moulds. Gently open the mould and unmould the Modak to a plate. Working quickly repeat with remaining mixture.
- Cover and let it sit at room temperature overnight to set. The next day the Modak should be firm to touch but soft to eat. This will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. This recipe makes a small batch of about 20 to 25 small Modak.
Judee says
Pistacchio flavored desserts are always my favorite. These sound delicious and look so pretty. Enjoy the holiday and the wonderful sweets!