Malai peda is one of the most famous Indian mithai desserts. It is the most common Indian dessert for celebrations.
Mithai is an Indian sweet made primarily from ingredients such as flour, milk, sugar, nuts, and clarified butter. Before the commercial era, countless hours were spent at home preparing these sweets.
Malai peda is made from non-homogenized whole milk which, through a special curdling process, turns into a product with the consistency of khoya, called Malai and then flavored with cardamom and saffron.
The word Peda is generally used to indicate a mass of any pasty substance, such as flour or khoya.
It is generally a sweet from the Indian subcontinent, originating from the city of Mathura, usually prepared in thick and semi-soft pieces.
The main ingredients are the solid part of the milk, sugar, and traditional flavors. The color ranges from creamy white to caramel.
To learn more about khoya…
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Indian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 38 oz non-homogenized whole milk (preferably buffalo milk)
- 1 packet saffron
- 4.4 oz sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- to taste ground cardamom
- to taste almond slivers
- to taste pistachio slivers
Steps
Bring the milk to a temperature of about 176°F, allowing it to reduce for nearly an hour.
Add the saffron mixed with 2 tablespoons of the milk, the sugar, the cornflour, and the lemon.
Stir to prevent lumps from forming.
It should reach the consistency of polenta.
Let it cool on a plate, sprinkle with cardamom.
Once cooled, form into balls with your hands, flatten them, and decorate with slivers of pistachios and almonds.
FAQ
What does non-homogenized milk mean?
Raw milk is whole (regarding fat content) but undergoes no processing except macro-filtration.
The homogenization process breaks down fat globules in the milk, dispersing them evenly (homogeneously) in the liquid mass.
Homogenized milk is subject to labeling requirements.
