Mawa Pedha (Milk fudge)

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In this post, I have already detailed how much I love pedhas so I will not go into it again. Just saying that I love this sweet would be somewhat of an understatement :-) I do not make this very often because I know that I would not be able to resist the temptation but on those rare times that this sweet appears in my home, I thoroughly enjoy it.  Ever since I made mawa with this recipe at home for the first time, I have made these pedhas a few times.

I used this recipe as a reference for making the pedhas. Unlike this microwave version that I made earlier, I found these pedhas were a little more softer and since they needed to be shaped only after the mawa has cooled to room temperature they were considerably easier on the hands to shape into pedhas too :-) Both the mawa and the pedhas can be made in under 30 minutes, not taking the cooling time into account, making this a quick treat :-)  So if pedhas are your weakness too, give this quick, simple recipe a try and tell me what you think:-)

And here is another view of the pedhas....



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Ingredients and Method to make Mawa Pedha

1 heaped cup Mawa ( I made mawa as per this recipe)
1/2 cup sugar (see notes)
1/2 tsp cardamom seed powder (elaichi/ ellakai)
a generous pinch of saffron in 1 tsp warm milk
a few slivers of pistachio/ almond to top the pedhas (optional)

Cool prepared mawa to room temperature.  In 1 tsp of warm milk add saffron and allow to sit for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together cooled mawa, sugar, cardamom powder and saffron in milk. Shape into pedhas, top with slivers of pistachios or almond if using and store in an airtight container.
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It doesn't require refrigeration if it is consumed within a day or two, any longer and I would suggest it be refrigerated. It never lasts that long anyway :-)

Notes:
My version of pedha is mildly sweet, for those of you who like your sweets very sweet, you may need to increase the quantity of sugar.

Also since in the US, regular cane sugar is very fine it can be used just as it is in this recipe, but in other places, if your sugar is not very fine, you may want to use powdered sugar in this recipe

Suggested Variation
For an even quicker pedha, use a few spoons of kesar pista milk powder instead of  saffron and continue with the rest of the recipe as above.

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Quick Mawa (Milk solids) and a video clip of an amazing market!!!

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The word "market" conjures up images of a bustling place with vendors displaying interesting and colorful merchandise. Whether it is a street market in India or a farmers market here in the US, a trip to the market has always been either fun, interesting or a chore. Somehow I have never associated the word "afraid" or "scared" with going to the market.

Recently my niece Swathi shared this video clip of a very unique market with me. I have never ever seen something like this before. The vendors have spread their merchandise on both sides of a train track. This is an operational track and the train actually passes with what seems like quarter of an inch to spare. The second the train is gone, they spread out their awnings again and go right back to selling their stuff. Unbelievable !! Now here is a market that I would probably be scared to shop in :-) Have a look at the clip here,  if you want to see what I am talking about..... :-)

Moving on, milk solids known as Mawa form the basis for many desserts in Indian cooking. Traditionally mawa is made by simmering milk on a low heat until it loses most of its moisture. Since this is very time consuming, there are some short cuts to make life easier :-) I got the idea for this kind of mawa from a food forum quite a while back. After a few tries I have come up with my own proportions that seems to do the job for me.  This mawa can be made in a few minutes and can be used in a variety of desserts. I used this mawa to make a mawa pedha (a kind of milk fudge) that I will post in this space very soon, until then here is the mawa recipe...... :-)

And here is another closer view of the mawa.......



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Ingredients and Method to make Quick Mawa
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups dry milk (milk powder) (I used Carnation)
2 to 3 tsp clarified butter ( ghee/ nei)

Place ricotta cheese in a heavy bottomed pan and place on medium heat. When the cheese begins to melt  add dry milk and mix well making sure no lumps are formed.

Add clarified butter and stir the mixture for a few minutes until the mixture begins to leave the sides and  begins to thicken.
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Remove from heat, place in another bowl and allow to cool. Use as required in recipes as needed. I made mawa pedha with this and it turned out wonderful, will post the recipe shortly so stay tuned :-)

Notes:
Make sure to use fresh milk powder as it makes a big difference to the taste of the mawa and the dessert it is used in...

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