Doodh peda

Method

1. 1 Heat the milk in a wide pan, stirring constantly for 60 minutes until it thickens into a creamy mass.
2. 2 Unlike peda made from store-bought mawa, doodh peda is made with fresh milk from the start, so the fresh milk flavor is more pronounced.
3. 3 Scrape the sides of the pan every 5 minutes; if the milk sticks to the sides and burns, the whole candy mass will have a burnt smell.
4. 4 Add sugar only when the milk has thickened; adding it too early will cause the milk to curdle and it won't thicken.
5. 5 Add cardamom and saffron, then simmer for another 8 minutes and let cool for 1 hour.
6. 6 Shape the fruit into a ball, flatten it, create a hollow in the middle, and then place the pistachio inside.

With an appliance

• Oven 1 hr 30 min

  Replace steps 1–3: thicken the milk in a deep tray on the middle rack of a 140°C oven for 45 minutes, stirring thoroughly at minutes 15 and 30; reduce the stirring time by about 15 minutes, allowing the heat to evenly thicken the milk mass, minimizing burning, and reducing the frequency of stirring to twice a day. In step 4, only add sugar when the mass has thickened to prevent curdling.