Now you can easily make delicious Kaju Modak at home, that too without a mould. This Ganeshotsav Special Kesar Cashew Modak recipe is quick and easy to make and creates modaks with perfect texture that just melt in your mouth (not chewy at all).
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Requiring only a few ingredients, these homemade, quick and easy modaks have right balance of sweetness and will be loved by young and old alike. Perfect to serve as prashad during Ganesh Chaturthi, these Kaju Modaks are absolutely mouth-watering. Learn how to make Cashew Modak at home in a quick video with precise measurements below.
Quick, easy to follow video with step-by-step instructions of how to make Kaju Modak at home:
Importance of grinding the Cashew Nuts the right way
Grind a few cashew nuts at a time using the pulse mode only of the grinder, just for a few seconds at a time. If you grind for a long time, grinding blades will start heating up and cashew nuts will start releasing their oil. Also, grinding lots of cashew nuts at a time will mean that nuts at the bottom will be ground much before and for much longer than necessary then the top ones.
This will result in the cashew nuts powder turning sticky and lumpy, when you want a fine, dry powder that will easily pass through a sieve.
The rule I follow is to only fill the grinding jar till it covers the base, you should still be able to see the top of grinding blade. And grind using pulse mode for a few seconds at a time. This method might be slightly time consuming but you get a nice, fine and dry powder at the end.
You can repeat the same process with the sieved coarse cashew nut pieces till you are unable to grind them any finer without them becoming sticky.
Then you can store these leftover cashew nut pieces and use them for preparing gravies or add them to smoothies to make them thicker as well as healthier.
Sugar syrup with perfect consistency
Try and use a non-stick pan for making sugar syrup as the mixture has a tendency to stick. Cook sugar and water mixture whilst stirring constantly on low heat only as sugar syrup gets cooked very quickly and can convert from being of perfect consistency to becoming very thick rapidly.
After sugar melts, keep a close eye on the syrup and keep checking the consistency between your thumb and forefinger. Be careful while checking the consistency as syrup will be very HOT! As soon as it reaches 1 string consistency add cashew nut powder.
I like adding Saffron (Kesar) to sugar syrup while its cooking as it not only adds a great flavour to these Kaju Katli Modaks, but it also gives them a slightly golden tint.
Cook the mixture only till it starts leaving the sides of the pan and starts holding shape. Cooking for longer will make mixture dry and Kaju Kesar Modaks won’t bind and take shape later.
Shaping Homemade Kaju Modaks even without a mould
After mixture is out of the pan, let it cool down ONLY SLIGHTLY, just till it is cool to touch. As mixture cools down it starts getting dryer and you will find it harder to shape homemade Kesar Kaju Modak without mould if you wait till mixture cools down completely.
Knead mixture slightly after its cool to touch and then start shaping Cashewnut modaks (काजु मोदक). You can always use a mould if you have one to shape the Kaju Modaks. But if you don’t own a modak mould, you can still easily make Cashew Nuts Modaks that look equally pretty.
Just make small balls and press each ball from sides to form a conical shape. Then with the help of a fork make equidistant vertical lines on the sides. Finally, gently push down from top widen the marked lines and broaden the base. And there you have it, a perfect Modak shape is ready even without a mould.
You might find it tricky to make first 2-3 modaks using this method, but soon you will get the hang of it and will be able to make these Cashew Nuts Modaks without a mould like an expert 😊
If whilst shaping Kaju Modaks you feel that the mixture has cooled down and has become stiff and hard, heat it gently, just for a few seconds, till it becomes soft and pliable again and you should be able to shape rest of the Cashew Modaks too.
This easy Cashew Modak recipe is ideal to make as Ganpati prashad when you are in a hurry and do not have time or are not confident enough to make the more complex and time consuming Steamed Modaks / Ukadiche Modak.
Try this instant Modak recipe for Ganesh puja next time, which will not just be loved by Ganpati Bappa but also all his devotees…
Have a look at some other easy Modak recipes that you can make for Ganesh Festival as prasad:
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Step-by-step instructions with photos for Kaju Modak:
• Grind only few cashew nuts at a time in a grinding jar. Only add cashew nuts till they just cover the base of the grinding jar, you should be able to see the top of the grinding blade. Use pulse mode only for grinding and only grind for few seconds at a time. Grinding for longer time will result in blades heating up and cashew nuts releasing their oil and cashew powder becoming sticky and lumpy.
• Now sieve this powder and grind the next batch of cashew nuts.
• Grind the coarse cashew nut pieces that are left after sieving. Then sieve these as well.
• Repeat grinding and sieving cashew nuts till you get 100 grams of fine cashew nut powder. Use any leftover cashew nut pieces for preparing gravies or add them to smoothies.
• Heat a non-stick pan on low setting and add sugar, water and saffron (kesar) strands, mix well and cook whilst stirring continuously.
• Cook till liquid thickens to 1 string consistency. Smear some liquid between your thumb and finger and pull your thumb and finger apart, it should form 1 string – be careful, liquid will be hot!
• Now add cashew nut powder and mix well.
• To this add clarified butter (Ghee) and green cardamom (Elaichi) powder, mix well and cook whilst stirring constantly till mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan and starts holding shape.
• Remove this in a bowl and let it cool down slightly, only till it’s cool to touch. DO NOT let it cool down completely or else it will be difficult to shape the modaks.
• Now knead this slightly and make around 10 equal sized balls.
• For shaping Kaju Modaks, use mould if you have one or else take one ball and press it from sides to form a conical shape.
• With the help of a fork make some equidistant vertical lines on the sides.
• Gently push down from top to widen the marked lines and broaden the base for a typical modak look, even without a mould.
• Make rest of the Cashew Modaks in this manner. If mixture has cooled down and becomes stiffer and harder to shape, try slightly heating the mixture again so that it becomes easier to shape Kaju Modaks.
• Let Cashew Modaks cool down completely before eating or storing.
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