Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan on medium heat. Then add mawa to the pan. Sauté the mawa for 2 minutes.
Then add sugar and mix well. The sugar will melt immediately. Lower the heat to "low".
Keep stirring and cooking the mixture on low heat. After around 5 minutes the mixture will start bubbling.Add in the cocoa powder (you can sift it before adding) and mix until all of it is well combined. Also sprinkle some cardamom powder (if using).
Keep cooking the mixture on low heat. It's done when it leaves the sides of the pan and starts coming together. It should not be a solid mass and still have molten lava like consistency. If you take a small portion from this mixture and try to roll it - you should be able to form a ball. This took me around 13 to 14 minutes on low heat to reach this stage.Do not over-cook at this point else the modak will turn chewy.
Transfer mixture to a plate, I use a parchment paper and let it cool down. Once it has cooled down, take your modak mold and grease it with ghee. Take a small portion of the mixture and press it inside the mold using your index finger. Remove excess dough from the sides and gently open the mold, the dough will now have a modak shape. If using cashews and chocolate chips as stuffing, first place 1-2 chocolate chips and few broken cashew pieces inside the dough ball, seal and then roll it and then push it inside the mold.
Using your thumb and index finger, pinch the top to make it pointed if the shape isn't perfect after you take out the modak from the mold. Make all modaks similarly. I got 10 modaks from this dough. If you don't plan to consume them on the same day, then keep them refrigerated and consume within 3 to 4 days.
Notes
You need to cook the mixture until it reaches the right stage (if you overcook, the modak will turn chewy and if you undercook then the mixture won't hold it shape as modak). So, it's important to know the right stage until which you need to cook. First of all, keep the heat on low once the sugar melts. You have to cook on low heat at all times after that. The correct stage to remove the pan from heat is-
when the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
It should start to come together but not form a thick mass or something, don't cook till that point. The mixture should still have a molten lava like consistency at this point.
It takes around 13 to 14 minutes on low heat to reach this stage. This time may change depending on the type of pan and heat.
If you take a small portion from the mixture, you should be able to roll it into a ball. Be careful while doing this though, let the mixture cool first and then try to roll it.
If you are unable to shape into a modak after the mixture has cooled down, simply put it back into the pan again and cook for 2 more minutes on low heat. Then cool completely and try again.