Kesar Malai Modak

5 from 2 votes

Saffron infused melt-in-the-mouth treats; we use ricotta cheese and four other ingredients to make these Kesar Malai Modak for Ganpati.

Totally yummy but super easy to make!

Prep Time5

Cook Time1 5

Total Time1 10

Course: Sweets

Cuisine: Indian, Maharashtrian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: modak

Calories: 116kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

32 oz Ricotta Cheese
14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 can)
½ teaspoon Saffron strands
2 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon cardamom powder

Instructions

In a mortar pestle lightly crush the saffron. Add milk and set aside.
In a heavy pan add ricotta cheese. Keeping the flame on medium, cook the cheese till all the water evaporates and the cheese thickens.
The cheese will thicken in about 25-30 minutes. It will be crumbly like Indian mawa.
At this stage add cardamom powder, saffron milk and condensed milk. Mix well and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
As the mixture thickens, remove a small spoon of the mix and make a ball. If it comes together without sticking, remove the pan from flame and set aside.
Let the mixture cool down a little.
Once cool to touch, knead the mixture to mix any stray particles.
Grease a modak mold well and place a small ball of the dough in it.
Press it out and smooth any edges that form.
Serve the kesar malai modak immediately or refrigerate till required.

Video

Notes

Cook the ricotta cheese completely till crumbly. If there is excess water in it, the modaks will not hold shape.

If the mixture with condensed milk is too crumbly and dry, add some milk to loosen it. If it is still runny, cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add nuts or coconut in the centre of the modaks if you like.

Add nuts to the ricotta cheese mix once it starts to thicken with the condensed milk if you like.

If you would like a lighter yellow color, add some yellow food color. I have not added any here.

However, if you do not have the mold, shape these like ladoo or peda.

Use a non-stick pan to cook everything. It keeps the ingredients from sticking.

It is easy to double or halve the recipe. Simply work the ingredients and make them.

Moreover, for bite size modaks, use a smaller mold.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition