Festival season is approaching and having some pantry staples available that can be turned into a delicious sweet are sure lifesavers.
If you are in the mood to make traditional Indian sweet but pressed for time, try this quick and easy Milk Peda recipe. You are sure to love it! For more traditional Indian desserts, be sure to try my Shrikhand and Rava Sheera - Sooji Halwa
What is Peda
Peda is a popular Indian sweet mostly well known as Prasad (religious offering to God which is then distributed to the followers). There are many variations of Peda available in the market today - ranging in different textures, sizes, shapes, and even colors. Traditionally Peda is made out of mawa or khoya and sugar. Like this Kesar Mawa Modak recipe. Today, I am sharing a very simple Milk Peda recipe without Khoya. Instead, we will use pantry staples like milk powder and condensed milk to make it.
Ingredients
Condensed milk: Along with sweetness, Condensed milk adds a wonderful flavor, texture to this dessert. Milk powder: Also known as powdered milk or dry milk. Ghee: Clarified butter. Use homemade or storebought. Milk: I use whole milk, but you can use 2%. Flavors: Cardamom powder for aroma and a hint of sweetness and Saffron for that color and sweet floral earthy notes. Nuts: For garnishing. Using Pistachios but other nuts such as almonds or walnuts can be used.
How To Make Doodh Peda
Cook milk powder, condensed milk, and ghee (clarified butter) together to get a soft lumpy dough and flavor it with some saffron and cardamom powder. Roll into balls, flatten to shape, and decorate with nuts. That’s it. So easy right!
Step by Step Instructions
1 - Chop the pistachios into half. Keep aside. 2 - Warm 1 tablespoon of milk in microwave and add the saffron and cardamom powder to it. Give a quick stir and let it sit. 3 & 4 - Now in a cooking vessel add the condensed milk and milk powder. Mix and whisk till smooth. 5 - Now add the milk with saffron and cardamom. 6 - Mix well till there are no lumps. 7 - Switch ON the heat and cook this mixture on medium-low heat. Stir intermittently. 8 - When the mixture starts leaving the sides, add ghee (reserving some for rolling the pedas). As the mixture cooks it will thicken. Keep mixing till it turns into a doughy ball. 9 - You want to get a consistency such that its easy to roll into a ball and retains its shape (test using a small dough ball). Allow the mixture to cool for 5-10 mins or until you can easily handle it. Roughly divide the dough into 20-25 portions. 10 - Apply some ghee to your hands and roll into a smooth ball. 11 - Press between palms to flatten it a bit. 12 - Then add a halved pistachio to the center. Allow them to cool completely. They solidify as they cool. Store in airtight container
Recipe Notes and Tips
While making pedas, make sure not to leave them unattended even for a minute. Milk products have a tendency to burn quickly. Even a slight burn can leave an unpleasant odor on these pedas. In which case you will have to toss the whole dough. So be careful. Don’t overcook the mixture as it will harden make the shaping process difficult. It will also result in dense and dry pedas. It’s easier to roll and shape the peda when they are warm. Add couple of teaspoon of cocoa powder at the end and knead well to make Chocolate Peda. You can also add few drops of rose essence or Kewra essence to these for more flavor.
More Easy Indian Desserts
Easy Coconut Ladoo Recipe Rice Kheer - Rice Pudding Mango Kulfi Pumpkin Halwa
Hope you enjoy this Milk Peda recipe!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ in the recipe card. Thank you ❤️ ! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!!
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