Jodharam Choudhary grew up in Rajasthan watching his mother make all kinds of modaks (or kozhukattais as we call them in the South) for Ganesh Chaturthi. So in the present day, as corporate chef at Khandani Rajdhani, he takes great pride in serving the delicacy to guests with a hint of nostalgia and sometimes a twist of his own. This year, he says, “I tried making modaks with mawa which is dried whole milk with cardamom and saffron flavours.”
KESAR MAWA MODAK
Ingredients:
Mawa/dried whole milk – 1 cup
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Green cardamom – 2 (powdered)
Kesar/saffron – a few strands
Milk – 2 tbsp
Method:
Mash mawa. Remove seeds from the cardamom pods and crush. Grease a square plate with ghee. | Add few saffron strands in warm milk and keep it aside for 20 minutes. | Add mawa, sugar, saffron milk in a non-stick pan and mix it well. | Heat the pan and cook on medium heat. Keep stirring till the mixture becomes thick. Do not wait to completely dry the mix or it will harden. | Remove from the stove, add cardamom powder and mix well. Spread the mixture on the greased plate. | When it cools, taken a portion in your hand and give it a modak shape using a mould, or simply cut into squares.
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