Introduction : Diwali celebration and importance of the Sweets
“Muh meetha Kijiye” (sweeten your mouth). This is a phrase that you will hear everywhere in North India during the Diwali season.
Diwali, the celebration of light over darkness, marks the victory of Lord Rama over the demon, Ravan. It is also a time when relatives and families come together to mark this victory of good over evil, and this celebration is always graced with bowls of chocolates and packs of sweets.
I often think back to the days when I stayed in North India for a while. It was fun and so nostalgic, especially during such celebrations.
Diwali was one of the major festivals and our flatmates, colleagues and Kerala association members always had multiple celebrations of their own. I remember munching on the different delicacies at these events, and then worrying about loaded calories later on. But then, sweets are the trademark of joy and happiness. How do you say no when that’s how our friends greeted us during the Diwali days? Especially when these sweets have these heavenly, melt-in-the-mouth divine taste! Really, I run out of adjectives whenever I think of the Diwali season, and the lovely treats we shared with each other.
Many of my friends start preparing the sweets at home, at least 10 days before the festival. They were very particular about gifting homemade sweets rather than the store bought ones. Which is a good thing because homemade sweets are always so special. The store-bought sweets just don’t have the same effect.
Also because gifting homemade sweets to your friends and family is a token of love and respect. Diwali is also a time when families clean and decorate their homes, so it is a period where there is a flurry of activity everywhere. The lighting of the diya along the fences and driveways of homes, and the bursting of crackers, laughter, games and plenty of fun everywhere.
There are some sweets that are made in every home, and they are super easy like the halwas, different varieties of ladoos, kheers, barfi, gulab jamun, rasgulla, milk peda etc. These sweets are made with a lot of love and care, and then offered as prasad to the Gods and Goddesses with purity and devotion.
A sweet affair with the milk peda, its origin and tradition
Of all the sweet varieties shared during the Diwali holidays, I found milk peda to be the easiest of all. I have explained the process of making this sweet delight in Kalavara, the best cooking channel. You can watch that to know more about how to make the delicacy.
The peda can be made with just a few ingredients, and perhaps that’s what makes them so decadent. The milk peda, or the ‘doodh’ peda as it is known, is a symbol of tradition and celebration, so it would be interesting to delve into exactly when the sweet affair began, right? Especially since Diwali and milk became inseparable.
Peda as we know it today originated in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the town of Mathura. The sweet was prepared as an offering to Lord Krishna, and an integral part of His worship. It is believed that the peda was first made in this part of India, and later, different variations were created in other parts of India. The preparation time involved waiting for the milk and sugar to solidify on a low flame. This is the basic style, and each region added their own flavors and style to the sweet, and made it their own.
There are also some stories that say that the sweet is said to have originated during the reign of the Mughal emperor, Akbar, in the 16th century. The place of origin, however, remains the same – Mathura.
Key Ingredients for This Recipe
As I said before, you just need very few ingredients to make the doodh peda, especially in this cooking recipe In Malayalam.
Check them out:
Ingredient’s List
Milk powder – 2 cups
Sugar – ½ cup
Milk – ½ cup
Ghee – ¼ cup
Pista – optional
Step-by-Step Guide to Milk Peda
You can look up my Cooking Channel Malayalam, Kalavara for a video of this recipe.
- Take two cups of milk powder, half cup of sugar, half cup of milk and one-fourth cup of ghee.
- When the pan is hot, we can add ghee, milk and sugar to it.
- Let the sugar dissolve well. When the sugar dissolves, add the milk powder.
- Stir well, and make sure it doesn’t become lumpy. This form of reducing the milk until it thickens and solidifies is known as khoya.
- Switch off the stove. Smear some ghee in your hands.
- Shape the peda well with your hands.
- Make a dent at the center. Place a pista on each of the dents on the pedas for decoration purposes.
- Do the rest in this manner. Melt-in-the-mouth pedas are now ready
Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Milk Peda
When you are using milk for the pedas, make sure it is full fat milk for richer and creamier pedas. When you stir the milk, sugar and add the milk powder, remember to stir continuously so it doesnt form lumps. Many people complain of the milk turning into lumps, but you can easily avoid that by stirring with dedication. Be patient while you stir, and it will definitely come out well.
You can use lemon to help the milk curdle a bit. This is not mandatory, you can just do that if you want. Once you finish stirring and the milk has reduced and is thick enough to leave the sides of the pan, leave to cool it in the pan itself (it should be in a fudge-like consistency). You can shape the pedas once the khoya cools down. You can add seasonings like rose water, saffron etc. too.
You can substitute sugar with jaggery, since that’s more healthier. And you can also control the quantity of sweetness added to the peda when you prepare it at home.
Make sure not to overcook the milk mixture, because then the pedas will become dry and crumbly then.
If you want to add more flavor and aroma, you can pinch some saffron and add it to the milk when it becomes warm. This is optional, of course!
Health Benefits of Milk Peda
Though the milk peda is a very sweet dish, it does have some health benefits too. SInce peda is made with milk and milk powder, you get plenty of protein and calcium when you consume it, leading to strong bones and muscles.
Since the peda is quite sweet, it gives you energy, happiness, and you can also call it a comfort ‘food’. Munching on a yummy peda would just about lift your spirits if you are feeling down. This is because of the surge in dopamine, the happy hormone. This is the hormone that gets released when you exercises too.
Diwali Special Milk Peda: Gifting and Celebrations
Pedas are often given away in Krishna temples as prasad, especially during Janmashtami. They form an integral part during festivals and celebrations in North India. And they have found their way to Kerala too. This Diwali, make your own milk peda at home. This would be a great change to all those store-bought sweets. Diwali is a time when you meet a lot of friends and family, and making something like this at home and sharing it with them would definitely be a very touching and respectful move.
People really enjoy it when you make an effort to make something on your own, they see it as your love for them. The time and effort you spend to make something so special really counts a lot. Since it is easy to make, you can refer to the recipe at Kalavara, the best cooking channel, double or triple the ingredients quantities and prepare them. Pack the pedas in neat little boxes and tie them up with a bow to complete the look. Your peda boxes are now ready for gifting! Let this be your festive delicacy, handmade to perfection and embodying the richness of traditional Indian sweet.
Conclusion
I suppose we are all soulfully connected to sweet delicacies. And I am yet to meet someone who dislikes sweet goodies, and many would like to indulge in something sweet and ‘melty’ once in a while. So the next time you have a celebration at home, or want to make homemade goodies for Diwali, this is one of the easiest, yummiest recipes to try.
