Instant Kesar Peda

Yes, everyone knows I love Pedas 😉 I like them all…well almost! What’s not to like, they are sweet, slightly fudgy and so delicious! Much like these golden beauties…my Instant Kesar Pedas (saffron fudge). A 15 min wonder..more like. 

My blog has many recipes for Pedas, some very quick and some slightly lengthy…but each hold their own…..they are yummy and so tempting.

I made these Pedas on the first day of Navratri last weekend…I could think of my Kaju Katli…but I will make that for Diwali 😁along with some Karachi Halwa! I am salivating just thinking about the feast in store for the days to come 😍

Anyways, coming to these Pedas….you may or may not have them during Navratri fasts depending on what rituals you follow…

Yield: 8-10 Pedas

Equipment: measuring cups/ spoons, a heavy bottom non-stick pan, a wired whisk, a plate.

Ingredients:

200 gms condensed milk

1 cup milk powder

2 tsp warm milk

9-10 strands of saffron and some extra to use for the garnish

2 tsp ghee + extra to grease your palms while shaping them

Method:

Mix warm milk with the saffron strands and let it stand for 5-8 mins until the milk is coloured beautifully.

Next, add milk powder and condensed milk to the pan. Add the saffron infused milk too. Whisk it well until it’s lump free. Place the pan with the mixture on medium flame and cook while you stir it constantly. Add 2 tsp ghee and keep stirring, I cooked it for about 10 mins to achieve a dough like consistency which leaves the sides of the pans once cooked.

Take the mixture from the pan onto a greased plate. Knead the mixture like a dough for 2 mins. Let it now cool for the next 8-10 mins. Then, grease your palms with some ghee and take a small portion of the dough and shape it into a Peda. Do the same for the rest of the dough. You can use any stamps to make some pretty designs or simply decorate them with a few strands of saffron.

Cool them in the refrigerator before you serve. They stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.

You can also try my instant Dhoodh Peda, Mathura ke Pede, Khoya Peda, Mawa Burfi among many others this Diwali 😊

Love,

Shreya💝

Mathura ke Pede

The famous Mathura ke Pede recreated in my kitchen! They are much easier to make than it looks😁 Just a little bit of elbow grease and you’re almost there…almost!! 😜

I say almost, because I was tired and then stopped the ‘bhunoing‘ process (sautéing the ingredients) as my arm hurt so bad after stirring the Khova/ Mawa (milk solids) for almost 30 mins! Yes ….that doesn’t sound like much but you got to do it to know how much I wanted to throw the spatula and run out of the kitchen!! 😂😂 Who ever said I was known for my patience!?! Haven’t you seen my recipes….I usually share ridiculously easy ones!

As always, my hubby wanted something sweet but Indian! I said ok…let me make some Khoya Pedas, and he said no! Something else…I ventured….instant Doodh Pedas!!? LOL! He was like…”lady, something different…Pedas will do but a different variety!!”  😳🤔🤔🤔🤔 then I thought of Mathura Ke Pede…sounds exotic and makes it look a whole lot different from any other Peda that I usually make at home!

The hubby doesn’t need to know that it’s basically the same thing, just the cooking process differs! 🤗😜😜 And obviously, the flavour is more intense and really delicious! A little patience in ensuring how well the Khoya cooks out is very important…my Mom was worried that I’d either burn the Khoya or under cook it and ruin her recipe…..but I managed to get the colour almost right!!! Yay!

Yield: 10-12 medium sized Pedas

Equipment: a heavy bottomed wok, measuring cups/ spoons, a couple of plates, a spatula.

Ingredients:

200 gms Khoya (I used store bought)

1 cup castor sugar + extra to coat the Pedas (adjust the sugar as per your taste)

1/4 tsp cardamom pwd (optional)

milk & ghee as needed

Method:

Take grated Khoya in the wok and cook on low flame. Keep stirring it continuously until the khoya begins to melt.

Add 1 teaspoon of ghee at this stage and some milk, about 2 teaspoons. Keep stirring continuously so that the Khoya gets an even colour and doesn’t burn at the bottom.

It took me almost 25-30 mins to reach this stage (pic below). I added another two teaspoons of milk because the Khoya looked dry. Add milk as per the texture. Always cook on low flame else the Khoya will colour unevenly.

Turn off the flame (I didn’t cook it any further to make it a little more brown, my arms were hurting too much after stirring constantly). Add cardamom pwd and mix well. Let this mixture cool down for just 5-6 mins and add the castor sugar. And mix with your hands to incorporate the sugar.

(TIP: Don’t let the mixture cool off too much before adding the sugar as the sugar won’t melt properly. But in case the khoya has become too cold and the sugar isn’t melting properly, you can cook the khoya & sugar mixture for 3-4 mins on low flame and immediately take it out of the pan and mix well).

Once the mixture is ready, grease your palms with some ghee and make Pedas of any shape (I kept them rustic) and roll them in some castor sugar. And set them aside. These can be stored for more than a week even without refrigeration as they have been cooked so well. That’s it!

Don’t they look yum! I insist….you must make these, too easy and super delish!

Love,

Shreya💖

Slightly adapted from here.

Karachi Halwa Recipe/ Cornflour Halwa Recipe/ Custard Powder Halwa/ How to make Karachi Halwa

Some sweets always make you wonder…how was this made?… How was the texture so?! So on and so forth. I too wondered about Karachi Halwa or Cornflour Halwa…until the day I found a recipe some months ago! 💃 

Diwali is around the corner and sweets are a must have! So this seems like a good option to try other recipes from my blog….Kaju Katli, Anjeer Burfi, Mava Burfi, Dhoodh Peda, Kesari Phirni.  

This recipe has been been sitting in my bookmarks ever since…waiting to be tried. But the timing never seemed right. So, when Diwali approached, I thought to myself that I should try it out soon..and the festivities around me seem like the perfect excuse to go for it! ☺️

The texture is so soft, and not at all heavy on the palate. Slightly chewy, as it should be…and the crunchy bits of cashews just adds more flavour to it 👌👌😊

I was pleasantly surprised to see that making it is absolutely hassle free…very little prepping is needed. It’s safe to say that it basically prepares itself! 😬😬😛 ..Let’s start the recipe..

Yield: 17-18 pieces

Equipment: a non stick pan, a wire whisk, measuring cups/ spoons, a tray, a sharp knife, a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornflour OR vanilla flavoured custard powder

1+1/2 cups water

a few drops of food colour (I used Orange Kesari)

1+1/2 cups sugar

1 cup water

2 tbsp ghee

1/4 tsp elaichi pwd

3 tbsp chopped cashew nuts

a few slivers of pistachio to garnish

Method:

Grease a tray with some ghee and keep it ready to set the Karachi Halwa

In a mixing bowl, add the cornflour/ custard powder + 1+1/2 cups of water. Also add the colour and whisk these well. Ensure there are no lumps in the mixture. Set it aside.

Next, in the non stick pan, add the sugar & 1 cup of water. Turn on the heat and these melt together. Stir it with a wooden spoon a couple of times. This needs to be done on medium flame. There is no need to get any thread consistency here. Just that the sugar must melt completely and the mixture should be bubbly and frothy. It must thicken slightly and be sticky. Once such a texture is achieved, stir in the cornflour/ custard powder and water mixture in the sugar syrup while stirring all the time so that there are no lumps. In 3-4 mins, you will see that the mixture has started to thicken and has turned glossy in certain parts. Keep stirring continuously.

Now, add the elaichi pwd and the ghee too. Keep stirring and mixing everything together. The texture will thicken more at this stage and become gluey. It will take another 5-6 mins for this. You will see the mixture slowly leaving the sides of the pan. Keep stirring without stopping as this stage is crucial and if you don’t stir, you will end up with lumps all over. Now add the chopped cashews (you can fry and add these, I didn’t fry it). Mix in the cashews quickly. Now you will see that the mixture is beginning to set if you stop stirring it.

Immediately pour the mixture on the greased tray and flatten it out a little bit. Garnish it with some slivers of pistachio. And let it set for at least an hour, at room temperature for the first 20 mins and then in the refrigerator. Once it’s set, use a sharp knife and cut it in any desired shapes. That’s it, it is ready😀 it keeps well in fridge for about 5-6 days.

Hope you will enjoy these soon.

Happy Diwali 🎊🎊😊

Love,

Shreya💗

Adapted from Sharmis Passions

Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli! I can just go on eating too many of them 😬 Ever since I was a child, these were undoubtedly my favourite ‘mithaai‘. I would never share these with anyone! 😉

My mother too indulged me & kept getting these often. Although, I don’t remember her making them….or maybe she did, I don’t really recollect.

So, when I got married, I wanted to make them at home, because the ones you get outside in shops aren’t healthy. They add rice flour & cornflour to the mixture before setting the katlis. So I referred to some YouTube videos for assistance 😉 and ever since then, I make them so often…they always turn out moist & delicious 👌👏

So much so, that my hubby says they taste better than store-bought ones 💃💃😘 Wow….that’s such a great compliment! Because, he can be a bit hard please at times..😛

I am sharing this today as the festive season has begun…Raksha Bandhan being the first occasion around the corner…so make them for your beloved brother and celebrate this joyous festival 😇 also, try my Anjeer burfi or Khoya burfi…my Doodh Peda recipe is instant! And we know how our dear brothers love their Besan Laddoos! You can even go a little overboard and indulge in some Zaffrani Phirni 😋 you can try these for Diwali too….it’s not too far 😊

My recipe is very easy, I took 4 ingredients & less than 30 mins to serve these from start to finish..! Let’s get started!

Yield: 15-17 katlis

Equipment: a non stick pan, a wooden spoon, measuring cups/ spoons, a knife, a plate, a rolling pin.

Ingredients:

1 cup cashew nuts

1/2 cup sugar

4 tbsp water

1 tsp ghee (for greasing)

Method:

Use a blender and dry grind the cashews to a fine texture. Make sure the cashews were at room temperature before grinding.

Heat the non stick pan, add the sugar & water. Melt the sugar into the water on a low flame. Keep stirring. Once the sugar has melted, cook for another 2-3 mins on low flame. To check if the sugar syrup is ready, take some water in a bowl and add a drop of the syrup. The drop should not mix in the water. This is one thread consistency (ek taar ki chashni). My syrup was ready in 5 mins approximately.

Once the syrup is ready, add the cashew powder & keep stirring constantly & cook on low flame for 5 mins, until you achieve a dough like consistency. To check the consistency of the Katli dough, take some mixture in your hands and make a ball, if the shape holds, it’s ready. Remove this dough like mixture on a greased plate and let it cool for 5 min. Grease your palms and knead this mixture carefully until it’s smooth.

Now, roll this dough with a rolling on the back of a greased plate. The thickness should be about 6mm or a bit more. Don’t roll it too thin. Set this plate in the refrigerator for 8-10 mins. They will set really quickly, once set, you can cut them in any shape as you prefer, however I prefer the traditional diamond shape for these katlis … That’s it! They are ready 😄 you can store them in an airtight container for 2-3 day in the refrigerator.

Enjoy them soon! ☺️

Love,

Shreya 💕