03 November 2013

Microwave easy Doodh Peda| Pal Kova|Indian milk sweets

pal_kova_peda

I am missing my India so much for today my country will be glowing like an illuminated galaxy on planet Earth for today is the "Festival of lights" called Diwali or Deepavali . Each and every house will be sparkling in terms of cleanliness,decoration,happiness and celebration in all .


I recall how I used to celebrate Diwali at home during my childhood days...I used to look forward to this festival...peace and happiness was totally in the air....everyone used to be darn busy at my home ..my brother busy in buying firecrackers ,my mom busy in making sweets and other delicacies ,my dad decorating our balcony with a red colored star lantern and lights and he would be painting the wicker furniture by himself , which was like one of the first furniture he bought after his wedding and so that holds a special sentimental value to him and because of his dedication even after 35 years of my parent's wedding that wicker is still intact and looks quite brand new and I loved watching my dad painting ...each stroke with utter love :)..not to mention festival was in air and heart :) ...

peda-mithai

Oh by the way where was I, what did I do then ??? well, someone needs to supervise all these things right :P ...yes yes I was busy in making sure I had better crackers than my neighbour :P & so compelling my brother to buy more crackers , taste testing in the kitchen with my mom ...unfortunately the count of the sweets got down somehow :P...and disturbing dad while he was painting or decorating asking him to narrate some mythological fables (which he was pretty good at :) )and moreover,I would totally forget about books,pen,paper ,subjects,school ...I made sure TV was working fine as well by gluing to it and watching all festival special programs and by afternoon we would have our relatives for the yummy lunch made by mom so welcoming them :P ,by evening after offering prayers (me half-heartedly) as my half concentration would be on the Hindi movie being aired :P and later on myself and my dad would be decorating our home especially the verandahs,courtyards,roof tops with loads of diyas and candles and eventually cracking all firecrackers ..errrr I mean my brother dear ..I would be happy with the sparklers or bidi bumm (a local firecracker stringed together at a stretch) and best part ,watching all around ,every house bright and light with diyas (earthern lamps) all over and everyone cracking firecrackers outside ...I just loved this speechless sight and sound .....the smell of those firecrackers still lingered in the air for another few days as well....

easy_peda

Ahhhhh miss those days and as usual I owe my parents for their quality time with us ,for celebrating every festival with great pomp and show and enlightening us about our rich colorful Indian culture every now and then...though it's been a while since I celebrated with my parents ..In US you can hardly feel any glowing sight or sound around ..people go to temples,may or may not prepare festival special at home ,have a get together ,light a few diyas and DONE. However it's such nostalgic memories which somehow reignite and recreates the festivals at heart ....again thanks to my mom and dad for those memories makes me smile and ecstatic during every festival :)....

Indian_peda_mithai

Basically (To those who don't know) Deepawali means "Row of lights".It's celebrated with immense fervor especially in the northern part of India ,where houses are cleaned and decrated with lighting lanterns and earthern lamps called Diyas with oil and wicks in it or even candles all over the house ,savoring varities of delicacies ,aromas of tranceful incense sticks flowing in to the air and loads of firecrackers bursting into the sky ...A lightful,brightful, one of a kind sightful festival :) ...A few people worship lord Rama,others Goddess Lakshmi,a few Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi's wedding,in Bengal,Goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha and Jain religion celebrates the attainement of Mahavira's nirvana ...in short  another festival of enjoyment and enlightenment spiritually,physically,mentally and heartily :) ... A medium to express gratitude and celebrate life.

peda

I celebrated my Diwali this time lighting few diyas and watching a dhamakedaar cinema,the new release Hindi movie, "Krrish 3",a surreal Sci-fi superhero Bollywood movie.Needless to say , I thoroughly enjoyed it .The special effects,the thrilling actions,tad of emotions here and there,sci-fi storyline and especially the superhero himself stole my heart.The main protagonist of the flick,the dapper actor ,Hrithik Roshan certainly did 100 % justice to his role and so was one of the mutant of the movie,Kaya a.k.a ravishing actress Kangana Ranaut and the villain ,Kaal aka Handsome Vivek Oberoi also did good and the main heroine Priyanka was fine too .However,when it came to songs ,they were bit disappointing though Hrithik's stellar moves somehow compensated that as well ..in all I had a blockbuster diwali celebration this time :)..No regrets !!..something is always better than nothing afterall!!

This Diwali I made an easy breezy Doodh peda/Pal kova ,an Indian festival sweets made with milk powder,condensed milk and butter in microwave within 15 minutes .So, it's sweet in every way .. Taste wise and preparation time wise :).
                                                        
                                                         Doodh Peda

Ingredients

Condensed milk (I used fat free) - 1 can
Milk powder - 1 1/4 cup
Butter, melted - 2 tablespoon
Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Kewra essence- 1 tablespoon (optional)
Yellow color (optional)
A round spoon & small cake mold (for design) (Optional)

Preparations

  • +Mix together condensed milk, milk powder, butter, cardamom powder, kewra essence and yellow color well in a microwavable container.
  • Microwave it for two minutes or until they start bubbling.
  • Take it out carefully, stir again and microwave for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Take it out and allow it to cool a bit.
  • Now make it into a dough and divide them into small lime size balls.

  • Press each ball between palms like a patty and keep them aside on a parchment paper.

  • Design it as you wish. Allow it to cool and set completely.
  • Instant peda is ready :).
Note :
  1. You can use any of your favorite essence.
  2. The container used for microwaving should have ample space for milk+ boiling...though you can stop when you see the mixture is gonna spill and start again after a few seconds.
  3. Mine is a 1000 watt microwave. So you may have to adjust your cooking timings as per your microwave's power capacity.
  4. You can garnish with pistachio or almond bits as well.
  5. Once cool put them carefully covered in the refrigerator to set them fast.

Happy Diwali to all my readers !!Have a blast but carefully :)