Makkan peda / Arcot Makkan Peda

Makkan peda is believed to be loved by the Nawabs, brought to South India by them. It has close resemblance to gulab jamuns but has dry fruit filling inside. The taste is rich and buttery smooth. Like makhan(butter) it is I tell u sooo delicious and melt in the mouth kind....

I have to say I have not enjoyed a dessert this much in a long long time. By enjoying I mean finishing the lion share of  those beautiful brown tender rounds u see below. It was gluttony unplugged. Seriously ! So good that we could not keep our hands of it until the last bit of sugary liquid was gulped down. The man of the house is unfortunately on a no sugar self imposed diet.It was real test of temptation to pass by these shiny brown rounds everytime he came to the kitchen.
I put a clear dome lid on the platter and left makkan pedas on the counter so it smiles at all passers by :)))Yes, I don't leave such things in fridge these days because we are nearing 0°C outside temp so no worry of spoiling and also away from sight away from mind so my motto is enjoy it fresh not frozen :)))

I was curious to see what would happen, the guy is pretty tough and hardwired never gives up easily so I had the honor of eating the last one. I cut it into half plopped half into my mouth by then something was scalding on the stove I had to attend to before the fire alarm shook the neighborhood by the time I had taken care of that the lastestttt half was missing and someone was struggling to hide a smile. Loll! But on the serious note phew! when will I learn to be persistent like him!

I  usually tell people u might like to give it a try but this one is a must try if u have a sweet tooth, u will know the difference between store bought mix gulab jamuns and this instantly. My daughter has requested for makkan peda re-run 100th time now inspite of not liking Indian sweets or any dry fruits so u can imagine how good the taste tester has rated it.

Hope u got the gist of what I had to say enjoy sweets but don't hit both extremes like us :))

Caution : These are very tender and can break easily if not fried with care.

PRINTABLE RECIPE
Ingredients : Yields 20 makkan pedas
Mawa /Khoya- 1 1/2 cup (Make mawa with milk powder-recipe below)
Maida -1 1/2 cup
Cooking soda - 1/4 tsp
Almond, pistachios, cashew -5 to 10  each chopped
Raisins- 10-15
If using below microwaved mawa (recipe given below) then need not add ghee or else add ghee + vanaspati - 2 tbsp
Veg oil - for deep frying

Sugar syrup:
Sugar -2 1/2 cups
Water -2 1/2 cups

Note : How to make mawa/Khoya in microwave in 3 minutes
Make mawa by mixing 1 1/2 cups of milk powder + 2 tbsp unsalted butter/ghee + 1-2 tbsp whole milk. Mix this into a crumbled wet consistency( add milk just enough to wet the milk powder)and microwave it for 2 1/2 -3 minutes by mixing it every 30 seconds so it does not rise and spill. Until the dry mawa texture is attained.

Method:
Mix the mawa , maida, cooking soda, (if adding) ghee + vanaspati. Sprinkle 1-2 tsps water and knead it into a dough. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes covered.

For making sugar syrup:
Meanwhile boil the water for the syrup first *then add sugar (this reduces the cooking time by half )
wait for a minute until the sugar dissolves  then lower the heat to medium-low and allow it to thicken into a syrupy consistency.(which takes 5-7 minutes).Then keep it on the lowest flame possible until u drop the first set of pedas into it. (If u boil the syrup in full flame it alters the taste of sugar gives slight bitterness)
Now u should be ready to fry the peda and drop into the hot syrup (the hot syrup ensures peda soaks and absorbs the sugar)

For making peda:
Take the dough and make lemon sized rounds of equal size then take a round make a depression in the center and fill it with a pinch of chopped nuts and raisins mixture . Close and seal edges and shape it back to smooth rounds slightly flatten the top.Repeat same to fill all the rounds. Keep each one on a plate without touching each other.

Heat oil then reduce flame to medium heat. (There should be enough oil to submerge the peda completely ) Add 5-6 pedas and fry to golden brown by turning one side to another very gently.Ensure all sides are evenly colored. It will take about 5-7 minutes in right temperature.
Note:
If heat is more : It will fry very fast and the inside will not be cooked
If heat is low then the pedas would begin to crack and break and the filling would come out. If u see them cracking slightly on top increase heat immediately to prevent it. Then lower it again gradually.

When the peda is fried remove it on to a paper towel roll it three or four times on it and immediately transfer into the sugar syrup.Allow the makkan pedas to soak for 2 hours and overnight for best results. (Use a flat bowl for soaking in a single layer as the pedas will expand and break if stacked in a deep dish)

Crush some pistachios and decorate on top.
Serve the makkan peda as a dessert for any special occasion.

Recipe adapted from Lakshmi Nair's cookery show and Raks Kitchen.

Hope u can see the sweeeet syrup soaked raisins and nuts inside the makkan peda below !

Happy Diwali to all my readers.

Hope u will like it :)
Meena