Chocolate modak

Chocolate modak made with just 4 ingredients – mawa, sugar, cocoa and very little ghee for greasing. These chocolate modak are a super delicious treat for kids and grownups alike. They taste like the real milk chocolate because they are made with milk solids, known as mawa. Steamed modak with coconut jaggery stuffing, are the traditional dumplings made during the Hindu festival, Ganesh Chaturthi. These chocolate modak are a variation of the traditional version but made in a completely different way.

Chocolate modak

Rich tasting, delicious with deep flavors of chocolate make these chocolate modak an excellent treat for the festive season. They can be made in numerous ways. The idea is to make the dumplings chocolate flavored by either using cocoa, cacao or chocolate.

Over the years I have tried making these chocolate modak in different ways with biscuit crumbs, milk powder, flour, chocolate etc. But my kids love this one with mawa and cocoa powder for the rich and intense deep chocolate flavor.

Mawa also known as khoya, koa is milk solids which is got after cooking down the milk until all of the liquid is reduced to solids. This is used in various kinds of sweet preparations like Gulab jamun, ladoos and burfi.

It can be made at home but is labor intensive so most of us use the store bought mawa which is available in Indian stores. I have used the store bought mawa for this recipe.

Making these chocolate modak is very easy and can be made even by beginners. You just need to melt the mawa and cook it with sugar. Then mix in the cocoa powder and cool it. Then shape small portions of the mixture to modaks using a mold.

If you do not have a mould then simply roll to chocolate balls or you may shape it to modak with your hands. Use a small to medium sized mould to make these. I used a very big mould, so got very big ones.

I haven’t stuffed anything in the modak, but you may stuff chopped nuts if you prefer.

More recipes for the festive season – Vinayaka Chavithi Recipes and Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes

You may like to check these modak recipes
Steamed modak
Rava modak
Sesame modak
Fried modak
Dry fruits modak

How to make chocolate modak

1. I have used about 3 ½ cups grated mawa and this weighs about 320 grams. If you want to make a small batch you may halve the recipe. Grate or crumble mawa. Use mawa that has come to room temperature. Do not heat up mawa that is very cold from the freezer, this sometimes may impart a bitter taste.

2. Add 1 cup sugar. If you have brown sugar, use it. It enhances the flavor of chocolate / cocoa. I used 2 tbsps more as we love these on the sweeter side. If you use white sugar the color of your modak may not be the same as mine. So add more cocoa powder later.

3. Mix together and begin to melt on a low heat.

4. Keep stirring consistently. If you have used white sugar the color of your mixture will be white.

5. When the mawa and sugar begins to melt, the entire mixture turns gooey. Add 1 tsp ghee at this moment. This is to prevent the mixture from sticking up to the pan.

6. Continue stirring and cooking.

7. The mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. At this stage you can also check by taking little mixture and roiling to a ball. It will be very hot be careful. Then add 2 ½ tablespoons cocoa in 2 batches. Stir well to prevent lumps. If you have used white sugar you may need to add more cocoa to get the deep color as mine.

8. Switch off the stove.

Shaping

9. Cool it a bit. This takes some time to cool down.

10. When the mixture is warm to slightly hot, grease your palm and knead it well for about 2 minutes. This helps to make the mixture smooth and glossy.

11. Grease the mould and stuff in small portions of this mixture. You can also stuff some nuts or chocolate chips in the center.

12. Remove from mould.

Arrange chocolate modak in a serving tray. These keep good at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

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Chocolate modak recipe first published in September 2016. Updated and republished in September 2021.