Malai Peda – Indian Cream Fudge

October 26, 2011 // 28 Comments // Fast , Indian , Vegetarian

It is Diwali today, the Indian festival of lights. Mythologically, there are many stories revolving around the festival. The most famous by far would be the celebration of the death of a demon and the return of a king. When the king killed the demon and returned to his kingdom with his rescued wife, the people of the kingdom lit up their homes and streets with lamps to welcome him. As a child who was a budding foodie even then, Diwali meant only one thing to me. Food.

For days leading up to the festival I used to make sweets and savouries with my mum. As did everyone else. On the big day everyone used to visit everyone else and help themselves to whatever fantastic spread the host would lay out for them, kind of like a food tasting event. Come evening and homes twinkled with oil lamps on window sills and balconies and paper lanterns swaying in the gentle breeze while the air turned thick with the smoke of every kind of firecracker you could imagine.

Of all the things that I used to sample during those few days of sugar overload, the Malai Peda was my most beloved. A simple sweet made of milk, cream and sugar was all it took to make me truly happy. I could never stop at one. Come to think of it, I can’t stop at one even today. We never made this at home because it was widely available at the mithai-wala (sweet shops) and always very fresh. When I left India, I missed the Malai Peda deeply. It took a chance conversation with an Indian grocery store owner over her counter, a quickly memorised recipe and a lot of trials and errors to rediscover my obsession for my favourite childhood sweet.

For the past six years it has become my go to sweet recipe for Diwali. I make it every year and then some times in between. It takes me ten minutes to prepare, cook and set it and it tastes like the real deal. Today is Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. There are no firecrackers or lanterns. But taste is a very powerful sense. One nibble and I can smell the smokey air, feel the heat of a sparkler on my arm and hear the gentle hum of a him being sung as people offer their prayers amidst the ding ding ding of temple bells.

Happy Diwali! May this year be a prosperous one for you all!

MALAI PEDA – Indian Cream Fudge

Preparation & Cooking Time – 10 minutes

Makes 16 rounds

Ingredients

4 cups full cream milk powder

1 cup granulated raw sugar

300ml thickened cream

1/2 tablespoon ghee

slivered pistachio and saffron strands for decorating

Method

Combine milk powder, sugar and cream in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave uncovered (my power setting is 1100 watts) for 3 minutes. Remove, add ghee, mix lightly. Microwave uncovered for another 3 minutes.

Remove and place tablespoons of mixture in a silicone mini muffin pan. Set aside or chill for 10 minutes. Turn out the pedas (fudge rounds). Press a slivered pistachio and some saffron strands on top of each round,

My Notes

I use silicone moulds because they are easy to turn out without disturbing the shape. Alternatively, you could roll them into balls and gently flatten them to get the round cookie shape.

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Tagged // dairy, diwali, fudge, indian, sweet

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28 Responses to “Malai Peda – Indian Cream Fudge”

Brian @ A Thought For Food 26. Oct, 2011 at 11:19 pm #

I absolutely adore saffron and the earthiness and subtle spice it brings to a dish. Beautiful photographs, darling!

Reply
- Sneh 27. Oct, 2011 at 7:18 am #
  
  Thanks Brian! Love saffron too!
  
  Reply
Martyna @ WholesomeCook 26. Oct, 2011 at 11:24 pm #

Hi Sneh, food memories are a powerful thing. I can imagine the creamy texture of these… yum. Thank you for the well wishes, and may I return the same to you and your family.
Martyna @ WholesomeCook´s last [type] ..{Day 26} Champagne and citrus jelly with passionfruit cream | a tribute to a tribute

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- Sneh 27. Oct, 2011 at 7:19 am #
  
  Thanks for your wishes lovely!
  
  Reply
Gagan 26. Oct, 2011 at 11:38 pm #

Happy Diwali to you and your family, Sneh!
Gagan´s last [type] ..Wishing you a very very happy Diwali…..

Reply
- Sneh 27. Oct, 2011 at 7:19 am #
  
  Thanks Gagan! And you too!
  
  Reply
Kartika 27. Oct, 2011 at 5:24 am #

Yumm. Memories come tumbling out of Diwalis from the past… wishing you and your family a wonderful season of happiness.
Kartika´s last [type] ..Spaghetti squash with fried mushrooms

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- Sneh 27. Oct, 2011 at 7:19 am #
  
  Thank you Kartika!
  
  Reply
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. 27. Oct, 2011 at 11:20 am #

Happy Diwali! Great post and photos
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.´s last [type] ..Lazy Lasagna and “Substitute Yourself Skinny” Cookbook Giveaway

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chocolatesuze 27. Oct, 2011 at 11:24 am #

absolutely beautiful photos sneh!

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kankana 27. Oct, 2011 at 12:19 pm #

Happy Diwali girl These peda looks so creamy and soft. It does sound like a easy to go sweet. Beautiful photos of kumkum and haldi.
kankana´s last [type] ..Mawa Gujiya – A traditional Indian festive sweet

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Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen 27. Oct, 2011 at 12:54 pm #

I love how easy this is to make!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen´s last [type] ..Marinated Olives with Garlic, Rosemary and Thyme | An Ancient Fruit

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Kiran @ KiranTarun.com 27. Oct, 2011 at 1:45 pm #

I agree with Sylvie – these peda’s are so easy and festive Happy Diwali to you and the fam!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com´s last [type] ..Diwali {Coconut & Almond Laddu}

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anh 27. Oct, 2011 at 5:07 pm #

Happy the Festival of light! I just love the name of Diwali! This looks amazing!~
anh´s last [type] ..Marinated Avocado

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Nash at Plateful 27. Oct, 2011 at 7:36 pm #

Hey, Happy Diwali to you and your loved ones Sneh! Your pictures are simply gorgeous and I’m dying to make this peda. Especially loved the simplicity of the recipe.
Nash at Plateful´s last [type] ..Minty Ginger Granny Smith —crisp, sassy and vibrant fall flavors

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The Yummy Morsel 27. Oct, 2011 at 11:53 pm #

Very beautiful presentation.

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Farwin 27. Oct, 2011 at 11:58 pm #

Happy Diwali to you!Love the simplicity of the recipe and the beautiful presentation.
Farwin´s last [type] ..No Bake Mango Cheesecake with Mango Sauce

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Soma 28. Oct, 2011 at 12:28 am #

It looks beautiful! and you have photographed the essence of the festival so wonderfully. Happy Diwali to you and yours Sneh!
Soma´s last [type] ..Kheer – Indian Rice Pudding with Nuts and Saffron

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Mary 28. Oct, 2011 at 2:34 am #

This looks delicious. I hope you enjoy the festival. We were in Nepal for Diwali last year and it is one of our most pleasant memories of our trip. This is my first visit to your blog so I took some extra time to browse through your earlier posts. I’m so glad I did that. You’ve created a great spot for your readers to visit and I really enjoyed the time I spent here. I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Mary´s last [type] ..Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

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chinmayie @ love food eat 28. Oct, 2011 at 4:51 am #

Never knew it’s so simple to make these delicious pedas!
Gorgeous photos! You have captured India’s festive spirit so well!
chinmayie @ love food eat´s last [type] ..Black & White Wednesday – Apples

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Radhika | Just Home Made 28. Oct, 2011 at 6:02 am #

Sneh, Happy Deepavali to you too..
Those pedas look perfect!
Going by how simple it is, looks like I might try this recipe soon enough!

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foodwanderings 28. Oct, 2011 at 10:12 am #

Happy Diwali Sneh a day late but celebrations are ongoing so I am good no?! One of my all time favorite Indian treats is Peda. We shape it differently but yours look just as authentic as my mom’s. I feel like grabbing one right off the screen!!

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Nic@diningwithastud 28. Oct, 2011 at 11:11 am #

Your styling and photography is stunning! These sound so delicious
Nic@diningwithastud´s last [type] ..Brasserie Bread class: Artisan Baking – The Art of Sourdough

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a spoonful of yumm 28. Oct, 2011 at 10:21 pm #

classic peda ! i love kesar peda too. very famous ones sold at bbay during festivals
a spoonful of yumm´s last [type] ..Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins & Spice Coffeecake for R’ock-tober !

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Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice 31. Oct, 2011 at 2:26 pm #

Absolutely beautiful photos, Sneh. I’ve celebrated Diwali with several of my close friends in college – their family ceremonies were so beautiful to witness.

I love the saffron in this recipe. So earthy and delicate.
Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice´s last [type] ..Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice 31. Oct, 2011 at 2:27 pm #

PS – I’m sure you’ve seen this satellite image of India during Diwali, but for anyone who hasn’t, it’s glorious!

http://www.punjabiportal.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/india-diwali-satellite-from-space.jpg
Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice´s last [type] ..Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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chinmayie @ ;love food eat 17. Jan, 2012 at 4:36 pm #

I just made these and they have turned out Perfect! I used full fat milk as that’s all I had on hand and made it on a stove top instead of a microwave. I decreased the sugar and decorated them with silver sugar balls
They are soft and just melt in your mouth!
chinmayie @ ;love food eat´s last [type] ..Pineapple Mint Punch

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- Sneh 21. Jan, 2012 at 7:27 am #
  
  Very nice Chinmayie! I am glad the recipe worked for you. I must try making these on a stove top. Thanks for leaving your feedback
  
  Reply