Milk Peda Recipe/How to make Milk Peda with milk

Peda is a traditional Indian recipe and its also known as milk fudge. We can make peda in a very easy and quick way by using milk powder or milk maid. The traditional method of preparation of peda is very labour intensive and time taking. But these pedas are most rich, delicious and classic.  It has a smooth & silky texture and it just melts in the mouth. This time I tried with paneer. It turned out scrumptious & tasty!!

Ingredients 

Full fat milk: 1 litre

Lemon juice: 2 tbsp

Un salted butter: 50 g

Milk powder: 1/3 cup

Milk: 1 small cup

Sugar: 1 cup

Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp

Pistachios : for garnishing

Method

1. Take milk in a heavy bottomed pan.

2. Allow to boil in medium high.

3. Squeeze lemon and take fresh lemon juice.

4. Keep stirring the milk, until it comes to boil.

5. Now turn the flame to low heat and add lime juice 1 tsp at a time.

6. Keep stirring the milk after each addition.

7. Repeat this until the milk curdles completely.

8. Now you can see the whey water separates from the solid milk particles.

9. Turn off the gas and keep aside for 5 minutes.

10. Place a thick muslin cloth over a strainer, pour the contents in the pan over the strainer.

11. Rinse the strained paneer with fresh water, hang it for half hour and remove water from it.

12. Melt butter in a non stick pan. Add paneer, milk powder and milk into it. Combine.

13. In medium flame, allow the mixture to cook with continuous stirring. Take care the mixture doesn't get burnt in the bottom.

14. Simmer the flame and stir well, until the mixture thickens. After 10-12 minutes, the mixture starts leaving the sides.

15. Once we get the texture of soft dough, remove from flame. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.

16. Once the mixture is slightly warm, add sugar and cardamom powder. Knead the mixture to smooth dough, make small balls out of it and flatten it. Repeat the same for all pedas.

17. Garnish with sliced pistachios on top, when they're moist and soft.

18. Keep it for sometime and enjoy yummy homemade Milk Pedas.

Chakka ( Jack Fruit ) Halwa

Chakka / Jack fruit is a great source of dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, which makes it one of healthy fruits to relish. People eat it as it is. Jack fruit halwa is my hubby's favorite. Here the recipe...

Ingredients 

 

Jack fruit- 1 kg

Sugar- 400 gms

Ghee- 100 gms

Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

Method

Remove seeds from jack fruit and blend in a mixie, transfer it into an uruli ( heavy bottomed vessel ). Let it boil and get cooked on a medium heat. When water is absorbed, add sugar. Let it be on medium heat and stir in between.

After it is reduced even more, add cardamom powder and start adding the ghee and keep stirring.

When all the ghee is used up and you get a thick consistency. 

Pour it in a greased tray and allow to set. When it cools you can cut into desired shape and garnish with almond slits.

Store in airtight containers. If you wish to keep it for a longer time, refrigerate.

Chicken Macaroni Casserole With Mozzarella/Easy One Pot Meal

Ingredients 

To cook chicken:-

Chicken breast pieces: 2

Cinnamon: 1 small 

Cloves: 2

Bay leaves: 2

Ginger, chopped: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Elbow macaroni, cooked: 3 cups

Butter: 2 tbsp

Garlic cloves: 2 chopped

Onion: 1 big chopped

Tomato: 1 chopped

Tomato paste: 2 tbsp

Chilli flakes: 2 tbsp

Flour: 1 tbsp

Chicken stock: 1/2 cup

Mozzarella cheese: 1/2 cup 

Salt to taste

Method

Cook the chicken with all the ingredients mentioned under to cook chicken. 

In a heavy skillet, heat butter then add garlic. Saute until lightly browned. Add chopped onion, saute till it turns pink. Now add tomatoes, when it becomes mushy add chilli flakes and tomato paste. 

Add flour and saute until raw smell of the flour goes. Add enough salt. 

Add cooked macaroni, shredded chicken and chicken stock. Cook covered for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a baking dish and transfer the mixture from pan into it. Top with shredded mozzarella and bake until lightly browned on top.

Basbousa / Semolina Cakes With Syrup

Basbousa is a delicious dessert, a sweet cake made with semolina flour, coconut and lemon flavored sugar syrup. Traditionally, it was cut in diamond shapes and decorated with almonds. The cake itself is not too sweet but it is soaked with sugar syrup. It is very easy to prepare and the best thing I like about it is that we can make it ahead and serve it as a no-fuss dessert. We can prepare the batter a day before and bake it just before the guest arrive.

 Basbousa is a pretty famous dessert recipe in the Middle East and Egypt. In Turkish this dessert is known as Revani.

   

Ingredients 

Eggs: 3

Sugar: 1 cup

Yogurt: 1 cup

Oil: 1/2 cup

Semolina: 1 cup

All purpose flour: 1 cup

Grated coconut: 1/2 cup

Baking powder: 2 tsp

Vanilla essence: 2 tsp

Zest of an orange 

Almonds for garnishing 

For sugar syrup:-

Sugar: 2 cups 

Water: 1 1/2 cups

Lemon juice: 1 1/2 tbsp

Method

Prepare syrup first. Dissolve sugar in water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice. Reduce heat and allow to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish.

In a mixing bowl add eggs and sugar and mix well. Add yogurt and oil to this and mix to combine. Swift flour with baking powder and add to the mixture. Combine all other ingredients ( semolina, grated coconut, vanilla essence and orange zest ) to this.

Pour mixture into the baking dish and smooth with a spoon. 

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours ( optional ).

Boil some water in a pan, soak almonds in it. Transfer into cold water and slip off the skin.

Take a butter knife and make diagonal lines, place an almond in the center of each diamond. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and cut through the lines. Pour the syrup over cake until no more can be absorbed.

Allow to cool and serve!