Updated on Dessert Recipes

Khawa Pedas/Ricotta Cheese and Milk Powder Balls

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These pedas carry nostalgic memories in our minds. Sujata made these pedas for the first time on Natasha’s first birthday. We had invited about 100 people and made about 150 pedas. People mainly remember Natasha’s birthday because of the food we served. Several people requested the recipe for these pedas and many of our friends continued to make these pedas later on.

Originally, Sujata learned how to make them from her friend, Sangeeta Bhatnagar. When people move to a new country, they have to adapt to new habits, including food. In the US, people adapted to new ingredients to make the delicacies they missed from home. These pedas are khawa pedas but to make khawa from scratch is rather tedious and a time-consuming process. As a result, people replaced it by combining milk powder and ricotta cheese, two readily available ingredients in the US.

Sujata also spends her free time working on pottery and created a special mold just for these pedas. We’re definitely getting in the festive mood!

Khawa Peda/Ricotta Cheese and Milk Powder Balls

These ricotta-milk powder balls are sweetened with sugar and decadently flavored with saffron and cardamom.
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Course Dessert
Servings 40 pedas

Ingredients
  

  • ⅛ tsp saffron
  • 1 tbsp warm milk
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter (113 g)
  • 16 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup dry milk powder Carnation or Nestle brand
  • 1 cup sugar (200 g)
  • 1 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tbsp crushed nuts pistachios or almonds to garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Soak saffron in the warm milk for at least 30 minutes.
  • In a heavy bottom pan, preferably non-stick, melt the butter and then add the ricotta cheese. Fry on medium heat for about 7-8 minutes or until the ricotta cheese's moisture has evaporated.
  • Add the milk powder and stir for 2-3 minutes. Then add the sugar and the saffron and continue to stir until the mixture starts separating from the sides of the pan, about 8-10 minutes. Do not stir too long otherwise the pedas will turn dry and crack. The pedas should be nice and moist while still holding its structure. Turn the heat off, add the cardamom powder, give it a good stir, and let it cool slightly.
  • Take a small lime size ball of the peda mixture and roll it between your palms and press to flatten it slightly. Make a dent at the center with your thumb or use a mold to add a design. Garnish with the nuts.

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