Sweet Love!

Milk sweets are adored in my house by V and the little one.As for me, I indulge in the more notorious sugar sweets like the Boondi Laddu and the Halwa. To pass by a sweet shop in India and to not have an adorned box of irresistible sweets in your hands is highly improbable.That is just me!! The wide selection that you encounter when you step into a Mithai (Sweet) shop can be a jaw dropping experience.We took the little one to 'Almond House', a popular sweet shop in Hyderabad. When my dad asked her to select a sweet, let me repeat "A Sweet" she replies "This, This, This, This and This".

She was utterly amused at the vibrant colors glistening through the glass case and the sweet decorated with the silver foil which fascinates me even today.I am known to buy the sweets that have the silver foil, bite the top off, and throw the rest of the sweet. Well, I do not do that anymore but I still have a fondness to the silver glitter.Known as Varkh, a lot of sweets like Kaju katli and Burfis are seen in this. The ingredients that are needed to make the most complex mithai reside in every home like Milk, Sugar, Flour,Nuts.And the aromatic Ghee!! Peda is the simplest of all sweets next only to paayasam.

 My favorite Pedha is the one that a good friend of my Dad used to bring us. I believe they are the Pedhas from a temple but I never inquired! They were small golf sized balls with a taste that lingered in your mouth and mind for a few days. Never could I lay my hands on such divine Pedhas again.
When I say Pedha, it is used as a very broad term. There are countless varieties and ways to define and make a pedha.It comes with 101 unique names, textures and distinct flavors. It comes as a simple and plain Pedha to stuffings and all the frills.This Pedha, also referred to as Amrit Pedha, has a Pistachio stuffing flavored with Saffron threads.

Yields 8 - 10 balls
Ingredients

 2 cups Mawa
 3/4 Cup Powdered sugar
 8 strands of Saffron, dissolved in a a tsp of warm milk
 1/4 cup unsalted Pistachio Nuts, coarsely chopped and blended (I used a Coffee grinder to coarsely blend the nuts)
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
Whole Pistachio Nuts to decorate
Tooth Pick or a fork to decorate and make designs (Optional)

Procedure-

• Combine Mawa and Sugar in a heavy bottomed pan
• Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is soft and comes together, pliable enough to make a ball
• Stir in the cardamom powder and mix well.
• Remove it from the pan and let it cool down completely
• Form the mixture into a ball
• Divide the ball into 1/3rd and 2/3rds portions
• Mix the 1/3rd ball with the powdered pistachios well
• Form 8 small balls Combine the 2/3rds mixture with the milk dissolved with Saffron strands
• Knead well until the ball is smooth
• Make a small ball and press it gently such that it forms a small circle as you would a bread/roti dough
• Place one pistachio ball on top of the saffron circle.
• Press it such that it forms a circle
• Gently fold the outer circle covering the pistachio circle.
• When you make a ball, the white portion alone should be visible with the pistachio ball gently tucked inside. Repeat this process until you have used up all the balls/mixtures. 
• Make a small indentation on top of the ball using your finger 
• Place a pistachio in the indentation made.
• Press a toothpick to make vertical marks on the balls or make any design of your choice 

 This Pedha will be fresh for up to 24hrs after making - best eaten on the same day.

This is making its way  to Indian Food Palooza hosted by Prerna of Indian Simmer, Kathy and Barbara.