Chocolate Modak

Cook along · 15 steps

Method

1. 1

   Grease the moulds: Brush the inside of each modak mould generously with ghee, getting right into the pleats, and set them aside. Ghee in the grooves is what lets the ridges release cleanly later.

   

2. 2

   Crumble the mawa: Grate or crumble the mawa with your fingers until no lump is bigger than a pea. Lumps do not melt evenly and leave grainy pale specks in a dark dough.

3. 3

   Roast the mawa: Heat 1 tsp ghee in a heavy kadhai on the lowest flame, add the mawa and stir continuously for 6-8 minutes until it loosens, turns creamy and smells nutty. Do not let it brown — colour here reads as bitterness under the chocolate.

4. 4

   Loosen with milk: Add the 2 tbsp milk and stir another minute until the mawa is a smooth soft paste with nothing dry clinging to the sides.

5. 5

   Melt in the chocolate: Take the kadhai completely off the flame, scatter in the chocolate chips and cocoa powder, and fold with a wooden spatula for 2-3 minutes. The residual heat of the mawa is enough to melt the chocolate; direct flame at this stage scorches it into grainy specks.

   

6. 6

   Sweeten off the heat: Add the sifted powdered sugar and the pinch of salt and fold until fully absorbed. Sugar added over the flame melts and the mixture goes soupy, and cooking it back down makes the dough hard rather than smooth.

7. 7

   Cook down to a mass: Return the kadhai to the lowest flame and stir 4-5 minutes until the mixture thickens, pulls away from the sides and holds its shape heaped on the spatula. Stop there — overcooked dough sets hard and splits at the pleats.

8. 8

   Finish with ghee and elaichi: Stir in the remaining 1 tsp ghee and the elaichi powder for 30 seconds, then take the pan off the heat.

9. 9

   Cool on a thali: Scrape the mixture onto a lightly greased brass thali, spread it into a slab and let it cool 15-20 minutes until warm to the touch but no longer hot. It firms noticeably as it cools.

10. 10

    Knead smooth: Knead the warm mass with the heel of your palm for 1-2 minutes until glossy, pliable and crack-free. If the edges crack, work in 1 tsp warm milk or ghee; if it feels sticky, give it another five minutes to firm.

11. 11

    Roll equal balls: Divide the dough into 12 equal portions of about 30 g and roll each into a smooth ball between your palms. Keep them under a damp cloth so they do not skin over while you mould.

    

12. 12

    Mould the modak: Close and lock a greased mould, then press a ball into the cavity through the open flat base with your thumb, pushing the dough right up into the pointed tip and out into every pleat before filling the centre. Level and trim the excess at the base, then open the mould and ease the modak out onto a thali.

13. 13

    Re-grease as you go: Re-brush the mould with ghee every two or three modak. If the dough starts sticking or slumping, chill the remaining balls for 10 minutes — a cold ball takes a much crisper ridge.

14. 14

    Garnish and set: Press slivered pistachios and rose petals onto the tops while the surface is still slightly tacky, then let the modak set 30 minutes in a cool place, or 15 minutes in the fridge, until firm.

15. 15

    Serve: Arrange on a brass thali for the naivedya. Stored airtight in the fridge they keep 4-5 days; bring them back to room temperature before serving or the chocolate tastes dull and waxy.