Peda

Peda is a traditional sweet made with condensed milk (khoa). This is a sweet that’s distributed to family and friends to celebrate special occasions.

You need to make the khoa beforehand for making peda, or you can use store-bought khoa.

Servings: 8-10
Cooking Time: 20 minutes (if using ready-made khoa)

Ingredients

• 1 cup khoa or (if making khoa from scratch, 1 quart whole milk or 1 quart half and-half)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp chopped pistacios, almond, and cashews for garnish

Preparation

To make the khoa

1. In a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or pan, bring the milk to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook the milk, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent the milk from sticking and burning.
3. Continue to cook down until the milk becomes a thick mass, and starts coming off the sides of the pan.
4. Remove from heat, and let cool. As the khoa cools, it firms up and becomes like a soft dough.

To make the peda

1. In a heavy-bottomed pan, add the khoa, sugar, and cardamom powder, and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring constantly.
2. When the khoa starts coming off the sides off the pan, (about 12-15 minutes) remove and spread the peda evenly on a plate to a 1/4-inch thickness, garnish with chopped nuts and let cool.
3. Cut the peda into 1-inch squares and serve at room temperature.

Cooking Tip

Wrap the remaining peda in plastic and store in the refrigerator to keep fresh for about a week.

Category: Sweets and Desserts