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Mathura Peda is a classic Indian sweet that is so delicious, rich, rustic, and lightly sweetened that you will absolutely love it. Made with just a handful of ingredients this is ready in less than 30 minutes.
Made with milk solids and sugar this is a very simple sweet to prepare and can be made in advance and stored.
Pedas always remind me of those beautiful childhood memories and festive times.
Pedas and barfis are my all-time favorite sweets and over the period of time, I have shared recipes for some of my other favorite ones too. There is always something special about a box of pedas, especially during the Ganpati celebrations. As a kid, I would always look forward to those prasad pedas.
After the pooja/arti, we kids used to distribute sweets to everyone present and hope that we get to devour at least a few of them. Mathura Pedas are so amazing that they just melt in your mouth and leave a beautifully creamy and rich taste.
Traditionally this peda is made from fresh homemade khoya however I was short of time and opted for the store-bought mawa that is easily available in any Indian store. I love to use the Nanak brand one as it works perfectly for any khoya or mawa- based recipes.
Though I love cooking from scratch, it is not always a feasible option in today's busy life. Making life simple wherever possible is my motto. So if I get a good quality mawa in the Indian store I would grab it without any hesitation. But if you want to go the whole traditional way you can always make mawa / khoya at home and then proceed to make peda out of it.
To make khoya from scratch you start with boiling the milk. The milk needs to be cooked for hours on low flame stirring and scraping the sides at regular intervals so that it doesn't burn or stick to the bottom. After cooking for long hours the milk thickens and gradually solidifies and forms khoya or mawa.
What is a Mathura Peda?
Mathura Peda hails from the northern parts of India from a city named Mathura which is in the state of Uttar Pradesh. In fact, that is how this peda got its name as it is named after the city it originated from.
Peda is a popular sweet from the northern parts of India and is predominantly made using thickened milk solids and sugar with occasional flavor enhancers link cardamom powder or saffron.
Though making these pedas is simple and easy it definitely needs some patience. Especially you need to be attentive while roasting the khoya so that it doesn't burn or overcook.
Why I love Mathura Peda
These are absolutely delicious, rich, and very addictive and a must-try for any peda or sweet lover.
- It is rich and creamy
- Easy to make
- Smooth texture
- Lightly sweetened
- Rustic flavors
- Can be made ahead of time.
Ingredients for Mathura Peda
Mawa/Khoya - Always use good quality khoya/mawa, either homemade or store-bought.
Sugar - You will need fine granular sugar for this recipe.
Ghee - Ghee is needed for the flavor and texture of the peda.
Milk - It is preferable to use whole milk for the Mathura peda.
Cardamon powder - Fresh cardamom powder of green cardamom pods.
Step-by-step instructions to make Mathura Peda
Firstly, grate the mawa/khoya and set it aside for later.
Take a pan and set it on medium heat. To the pan add ghee, mawa, and milk.
Cook the mawa ghee and milk mixture on medium-low or low heat. Keep stirring using a spatula and do not leave it unattended. Keep scraping the sides so there are no browned residues.
Cook or roast for about 20 to 25 mins or until the mawa is nicely golden browned and beautifully fragrant.
Transfer the roasted mawa to a bowl to cool down. If you leave it in the hot pan then it might burn or cook further than required.
Once the roasted mawa has cooled down a little transfer the mixture to a mixer/grinder and pulse it a couple of times to break all the lumps. Pour the ground mawa back into the mixing bowl.
To the mawa add the sugar, cardamom powder, kewra water, and some milk to the bowl. Mix it all together or rub the mixture with your hands until it all comes together. You will find that the mixture forms into a dough.
Now make equal size balls out of it and then shape them into pedas. Coat the pedas in granular sugar and place them in an airtight container. Rolling the pedas in sugar is completely optional.
Garnish the pedas with slivered pistachios or slivered almonds and let them air-dry for about 1 or 2 hours.
You can store the Mathura pedas in an airtight container and they will stay good at room temperature for at least 2 to 3 days and later on in the fridge for up to a week.
Frequently asked questions
What type of sugar is needed for this recipe?
Traditionally, tagar or boora sugar is used in this recipe however I have used regular granular sugar. If you want you can use tagar for this peda. Tagar is used in traditional recipes as it enhances the flavor of the Mathura peda.
Why Do we need to grind the roasted mawa?
When you roast the mawa the milk solids bunch up and form small chunks that need to be broken in order to roll it into peda. If you skip this step then you might find it difficult to roll the mixture into pedas.
What do you do if the mawa is too dry while rolling the peda?
While rolling the Mathura pedas if the mixture becomes too dry and difficult to roll or falls apart add a teaspoon of milk at a time till the mixture comes together. But be careful not to add too much all at once or the mixture will become too soft to roll.
You can also try some other Indian sweets:
Tips to make perfect Mathura peda
Roasting the Mawa / Khoya - Mawa must be roasted at low heat and stirred continuously to avoid burning. Do not try to speed up the cooking process by turning up the heat as it will burn the khoya. It might seem time-consuming but the slow cooking process definitely enhances the flavors and textures.
If while roasting you find brow streaks in khoya then you have definitely turned up the heat and the mawa is burning so turn down the heat and for a minute take the pan off the heat and keep stirring and get it back on flame to continue the cooking process.
Mixing sugar with roasted mawa - Be careful while mixing sugar with roasted mawa. The mawa needs to be cooled before you add sugar to it. If you add sugar to hot mawa then the sugar will melt and that will change the texture of Mathura peda and make it sticky.
The perfect pan for cooking - It is best to use a thick-bottomed pan for roasting the mawa / khoya to avoid burning.
Mawa / khoya - I would recommend using either store-bought or traditional homemade khoya for this recipe. Try avoiding the instant khoya made with milk powder as that will yield a different texture in the Mathura peda.
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
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Mathura Peda
Equipment
- 1 Thick bottomed pan or kadhai
- Spatula
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 300 gm Mawa 3 cups grated
- 300 gm Granulated Sugar 1 and ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup Whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon Kewra water
- 4 tablespoon Ghee
- 2 tablespoon Milk is optional for mixing if needed
- ½ cup Granulated sugar for coating the pedas optional
Instructions
- Grate the mawa and set it aside for later.
- Place a thick bottom pan on low-medium heat and add 3 tablespoon ghee to it.
- Once the ghee melts add 300 gm mawa / khoya and ¼ cup milk to it.
- Cook the khoya on low heat and keep stirring continuously. After some time the khoya will melt and it will turn into a smooth mixture.
- Keep roasting the khoya further for about 20 to 25 minutes until it dries and turns golden brown and fragrant.
- Transfer the roasted khoya to a mixing bowl to cool down.
- Once the khoya / mawa cools down transfer the mawa to the mixer/grinder and grind the crumbly mixture into a nice grainy powder.
- Pour the ground mawa into a mixing bowl.
- To the mawa add 300 gm granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon kewra water, and 1 tablespoon ghee. Mix it all together using a spatula or you can rub it all together with your palms to form a nice dough.
- If the mixture is too dry and does not form into a dough add a tablespoon milk to mix it together and add more if needed.
- Take a small bowl and pour ½ cup of granulated sugar into it.
- Now shape the dough into small equal size pedas.
- Roll the pedas in a bowl of granulated sugar and coat them nicely.
- Garnish the pedas with slivered pistachios and let them air-dry for about 1 or 2 hours.
- Place the Mathura pedas in an airtight container and store them.
- The Mathura pedas will stay good at room temperature for 2 to 3 days and then in the refrigerator for another week.
Notes
- Use a thick bottom pan for roasting the mawa.
- Stir the mawa continuously to avoid burning.
- Preferably do not use the instant mawa.
- Do not forget to grind the roasted khoya for a perfect texture.
- Air dry the pedas for about an hr before storing them in an airtight container.
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