Malai Modak or Paneer Modak Recipe - Soft, easy and delicious festive sweet made with crumbled paneer (Indian cottage cheese), sweetened condensed milk and cardamom. A super quick modak recipe for Ganesh Chaturthi!
What is malai modak?
Modak is known to be a favorite food of Lord Ganesh (Indian god) especially on his birthday (Ganesh Chaturthi). Millions of Indians across the world shower him not only with holy chantings, street parades but also his favorite food items.
People make so many traditional and fusion verities of modakams at home during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival and Malai Modak is one of the traditional modak dish.
It is also known as Paneer modak. You only need paneer(Indian cottage cheese), condensed milk and cardamom to make this quick and delicious festive sweet.
How long can I store them for?
They can be stored for 4-5 days if you stored them in the refrigerator.
Can I use store-bought paneer?
Absolutely! However, I recommend homemade paneer for the best results.
Serving suggestions:
This is a versatile recipe. Shape it into laddus and serve them during Diwali festivals.
These can also be served as sweet snack with a cup of coffee or tea.
Tips & Notes:
Make sure you crumble the paneer / cottage cheese really well to make it soft. Also, mash the paneer crumbles while cooking using the back of spatula.
DO NOT overcook. It may become chewy and hard.
If you don't have a modak mold, shape the mixture into round balls and decorate them with nuts. They will look equally good.
Add few more tablespoons of condensed milk if want more sweetness.
I have used only cardamom in this recipe but you can also use saffron. Soak a pinch of saffron in 1-2 tablespoons of hot milk and add it to the pan.
Step by step instructions:
Combine the crumbled paneer and condensed milk in a wide and heavy bottomed pan.
If you want to use saffron, add it at this stage.
Mix everything well and cook on a low-medium flame. Mash the paneer crumbles using the spatula while stirring to make a soft modak.
Keep stirring and cook for 8-10 minutes or until it becomes thick.
Add ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder and mix everything well.
Remove it from the flame and let it cool down a bit.
When it is warm enough to handle, grease your hands and knead it into a smooth dough.
Divide it into round balls. If you don't have a mould, you can serve them as laddus (round balls).
Grease the mould with a little bit of ghee and stuff it with prepared paneer balls.
Unmold them carefully and decorate them with chopped pistachios.
Serve & enjoy!
Few more Ganesh Chaturthi recipes on the blog:
How to make paneer modak recipe video below:
Malai Modak (Paneer Modak)
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Crumbled Paneer
- ¾ Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sweetened Condensed Milk
- ¼ Teaspoon Cardamom Powder
Instructions
- Combine crumbles paneer and condensed milk in a pan and cook on a low flame until it is thick.
- Don't forget to keep stirring to prevent burning.
- Once it is thick and cooked, add cardamom and mix.
- Let it cool down a bit.
- When it is warm, knead it into a dough.
- Shape it into laddus or modak and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only.
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