Monday, December 29, 2008

Microwave Doodh Pedha (Quick and simple Indian milk fudge)

Pedha in Indian cuisine refers to a fudge made basically out of  milk and sugar with some types of additional flavors added like saffron, cardamom, pistachio or a combination of these.In India this is made out of Mawa which is a type of condensed milk that is almost dry and is used in a variety of milk based sweets.  Any sweet shop in India worth its name, would have at least three to four varieties of this pedha, in various shapes made fresh each day. This sweet has always been a family favorite and every special occasion has warranted a trip to the sweet shop or Mithai as they are known in India to buy these pedhas to celebrate the occasion or event. 

The idea of making this fudge at home never even crossed my mind in all these years. I simply assumed that it would entail a very difficult and time consuming process and somehow I never had the inclination to try such a  process to make a sweet of all things, knowing I would feel guilty when I indulge in it too. But with the festive season here it seemed like a good time to try something sweet and the idea of making this pedha/ fudge got stuck in my mind. I have seen quite a few recipes for making pedha in a lot of different sites but this one that I saw on Uma's blog  remained with me.

 I modified her recipe slightly, I have seen some recipes that are similar but also add some butter but I skipped that part and just went with the condensed milk and milk powder version for my first try. I also added saffron and pitachio's in some and cardamom and almond slivers in some to give them more flavors. I loved the simplicity of this recipe and the speed with which this sweet got done is a definite plus and makes this sweet my new favorite when I am short on time and need to make something yum. If you are done having cookies and cakes this season and are looking for a different type of sweet you could probably try this for a quick and simple treat.

 Microwave Doodh Pedha ~ Quick and simple Indian milk fudge


Ingredients and Method to make Microwave Doodh Pedha (Simple Milk Fudge)

1- 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk ( approximately 1 1/4 cups of sweetened condensed milk)
1 3/4 cups of milk powder (I used carnation milk powder)
1/8 tsp of cardamom powder (elaichi/ ellakai)
a small pinch of saffron (kesar/ kumkuma poo) (Read notes for some variations in flavor)
2 heaped tbsp clarified butter/ ghee /nei (optional, see notes)

a little extra clarified butter/ ghee to apply on hands to shape the pedhas (opt, see notes)
 
slivers of almonds( unsalted)to use as decoration
OR
few slivers of pistachio (unsalted) to use as decoration

In a large and deep microwave safe dish, add the condensed milk and the milk powder and mix well. Add clarified butter/ ghee, cardamom powder and saffron to this and mix well.

Place in the microwave and heat on high for a minute.

Remove mix well and repeat this step for another minute. 

Place this back in the microwave if required and cook in 30 seconds increments until done.
(It took me about 2 1/2 minutes to get this quantity to the required consistency )

To check if done, cool the mixture slightly and if you are able to roll between your fingers you know it is done. Try not to overcook this mixture as it will result in hard pedhas that are difficult to shape and not as tasty too.

Cool mixture until it is touchable, apply a little clarified butter to palms and roll into pedha shapes ie roll into small gooseberry sized balls, then flatten slightly. (For those of you who have never seen these, this looks like mini cutlets/ patties) . This time I pressed down with my finger in the center to give it a little dent so that I could place the slivered pistachios in the center. 

Place the almond/ pistachio sliver on top of the pedha and press lightly while the pedha is still warm.
The copyright of this content belongs to Veginspirations.com
Cool thoroughly and place in an airtight container and can be kept without refrigeration for about 4-6 days. Tastes best within a 3 to 4 days of making it

Yield depends on the size of each pedha. This quantity of mixture has yielded anywhere between 22 to 35 pedhas depending on the size I make with it each time.

Notes:
I have made this with and without the clarified butter in the recipe and while both of them are delicious, I just thought that the clarified butter added a little something more to the recipe so I would recommend adding it.

I have made this with and without applying clarified butter on my palms. I find applying a little clarified butter on the palms speeds up the process of shaping these pedhas. Alternatively you can also keep you hands very very slightly moist to help shape the pedhas. 

If you have masala milk powders at home such as Kesar pista milk powder you can use about 1 to 2 tsp according to taste to flavor this quantity of pedhas instead of saffron or cardamom powder.

Time taken to cook the pedhas will vary based on the output of the microwave used and the depth and size of the dish used.

And one last thing, if the milk powder you have seems to have a very thick and granular texture, give it a turn in the blender/ mixer so that it turns into fine powder before using in this recipe. 

62 comments :

Adlak's tiny world said...

Usha happy New Year to u... Doodh Bedha is tempting to take out from the screen itself... Nice entry dear.

CurryLeaf said...

Looks perfect.Never tried pedha in a microwave.I make chocolate one on stove top.Yet to post it thgh.This is richer with the addition of milk powder.Love the presentaion-True bakery style.

Very Very Happy to know to tried the soup.Some people do not like celery,but it is very good in this soup.THANKS FOR TRYING THE SOUP.

Uma said...

Thanks for trying doodh peda! YOurs look more delicious. Love the addition of saffron and nuts.

Happy and prosperous new year 2009 to you and your family!

Unknown said...

Your recipe seems easy, and looks very delicious. I too never tried making at home, but enjoy eating them.Will save this recipe for future.

Purva Desai said...

This recipe is worth bookmarking dear, making pedha is like a child's play if one follows this recipe...
Thanks for sharing will try this soon..

Wishing you Happy and prosperous New Year!

Anonymous said...

Awesome recipe Usha... it is easy to make and sooo tasty :)

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

dhoodh peda in 2.5 minutes ?awesome.. i am going to try this.

Shobana senthilkumar said...

Hi,
i am crazy of sweets...urs is mouth watering..:)

Anonymous said...

You made This in the microwave?Awesome! Looks like they are inside the glass in the stores.

Anonymous said...

Eye Appealing and mouthWATERING...yummy usha..Havent tried this one..
Have a yummy 2009 !!

anudivya said...

I've tried this sans butter long time back and came out nicely too like you said! And the fat-free condensed milk is also a nice substitute.
Looks nice Usha.
Happy New Year! :) Looking forward to more amazing stuff from you.

Cham said...

Peda without butter, well i make with butter too next time will be without for sure... Looks perfect without butter Usha!

Jaishree Iyer said...

Doodh Bedha is tempting...Wishing you Happy and prosperous New Year!

Sharmila said...

Wow! You made pedhas! Too good. :-)

Unknown said...

i made this once long time ago..looks tempting..would love to grab that piece..

Sunshinemom said...

Looks tasty and beautiful! I have a m/w recipe for this too but did not try - thanks for vouching! Happy New Year, Usha:)

Laavanya said...

I've been wanting to try these pedas for a while now.. yours look perfect. Happy New Year Usha! :)

Sumathi said...

Happy New Year to you Usha !!
Looks perfect.. I have the version with buttter in my blog.. Will try ur version also..

Deepa Hari said...

Hi Usha,
Thank you for stopping by...Thats a yummy doodh peda.

Unknown said...

looks yummy :)

Preety said...

i want to have one..Happy new year

LifenSpice said...

Hi Usha, Doodh peda looks delicious. a great way to usher in the new year! wish u a very happy new year!!!

Maria said...

Looks great! Happy New Year to you too!

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

my fav.
how have u been..long time no news!
happy new year dear

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year to u!

Rajani said...

ilovve pedas!! times like this i wish i could cave in and buy a m/w. usha, a very happy new year 2009 to you and your family!

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious and totally sinful :)

Happy holidays, and hope you have a fabulous 2009

Meera said...

Happy New Year to you & yours, Usha!!

Meera said...

Happy New Year to you & yours, Usha!!

Pam said...

Oh yum. This looks wonderful! Happy New Year to you and your family.

Trupti said...

Peda looks very yummy Usha.

Hope u have something for Winter Treat Event.

Wish you and ur family a Happy New Year !!

Vibaas said...

Wish you a very happy and prosperous new year Usha. Peda looks so yummy. This is on my to do list for way too long, thx for reminding me of this :)

Sheetal Kiran said...

Wish you a very, very splendid and awesome year ahead, Usha! The pedhas look fantastic ... and I love how easy it is! Just what I would like to do today, be in and out of the kitchen ... and then have something sweet to look forward to!

Pavithra Kodical said...

Thank you Usha for your lovely comments..Happy new year to you and your family..

aTxVegn said...

Happy New Year, Usha!

Malar Gandhi said...

Love Doodh peda, looks great.

Anonymous said...

Usha wishing you a great new year & looking fwd to many more healthy recipes :-) The pedas look awesome.

Unknown said...

Happy New Year to you and your family

Nikunj Vasi said...

Happy New Year !!

Indrani said...

Peda looks so tempting....bookmarked & will try soon...Happy new year to u & ur family

Sharmila said...

Wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous new year! :-)

sriharivatsan said...

First time to your blog. Nice recipies..beda is looking yummy and delicious..

Wish you a delicious new year..

Suganya said...

Nice sweet recipe. Even I do it some times. Looks so good. YUM!

Happy new year!!!....

Clumbsy Cookie said...

The milky flavour and the cardamom must work great!

Ruth Strong said...

Great looking fudge! Thanks for sending it into the bookmarked recipes round up.

Happy New Year!

Premyscakes said...

Wish u a very happy new year. peda looks perfect and mouth watering and also sounds easy to make.

Priyanka said...

Happy New Year Usha. The pedhas look awesome. And the recipe is one that can be made in a jiffy. I checked out your oats idli and muffins. Another helthy yet delicious recipe. Will be trying them out sometime soon.

Lore said...

Yum, love how that pistachio version sounds like!
Happy New Year to you and your family, here's to a delicious 2009 :D

Vaishali said...

I'm always in envy of those who can come up with amazing recipes using the microwave: I use mine for little more than heating soy milk for tea. Kudos, Usha, on a great job!

AnuSriram said...

Thats perfect and delicious! Have a great year and may all you wish come true!

Usha said...

Thanks to all of you for visiting and for your wishes. Wish you all a very happy and wonderful 2009 :-)

Shri said...

Wow!! how simple and yummy recipe.great try!!will sure try this soon.

Dhanya Ganesh said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog.You have a wonderful blog. The dhoodh peda looks easy and delicious.

Nithya Praveen said...

Never thought of pedas being so easy to make.....its definetly a great one.

Purnima said...

Usha, made and posted it today. DO CHK..:D Thanks, again!

luckysanjana said...

Hey i just looked at your oats recipe and while i was taking that down i noticed the peda........end of oats recipe........this is really easy to make......condensed milk is seriously gods gift to us.............LOL.........

ARUNA said...

hey Usha, i was looking for a similar recipe as i wanted to use my left over condensed milk from the pound cake that i made yesterday....and ur recipe looks just perfect, so i will try it out! OMG i'm scared my blog is making me gain weight:)

ARUNA said...

finally had a chance to try this recipe today Usha......writing it after having a bite. It is yummmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyy, shape is a lil disaster though!Better shape next time, atleast i have an idea now. Thanx for sharing!

Dazy said...

These fudge are awfully mouth-watering! And would keep me busy in the kitchen, again. I think this would be just perfect for my kids who are crazy for it!

Anonymous said...

My dad loves pedhas... Cannot wait to try this and take a box of it for him!

Latha said...

Hello Usha,
I tried this recipe just now and they came out very good. I am taking it to a party tomorrow. I have been watching my calories and so I calculated how many calories per pedha. Here is it. I got 27 pedhas. Total calories for condensed milk and milk powder is 1720. So divide by 27. 1 pedha = approx. 67 calories. I am doing this calc with your recipes that I am making. Your recipes are healthy but need to know calorie values per serving. Your recipes are all yummy!!
Latha

great-secret-of-life said...

looks good.. who can resist quick treat

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