Ricotta cheese peda

Hmmm..peda!!
Peda is my first love among sweet treats, with the love affair dating back to my childhood as a foodie who had an extreme sweet tooth. When I was a first grader, one evening I returned from school, and as usual, I peeped into the kitchen to see what was special for evening snack. I saw a box of bakery items on the kitchen counter top. I checked the box out to see what was there in store for me. I was amazed by the smell and look of a round shaped cream coloured sweet with an impression of wheel marked on its face. I grabbed one took a bite..ah! what is this?? yum! yum! yum!
My mom told me that it is a sweet called peda and my uncle had brought them when he visited our place. My uncle was working outside India at that time and I assumed he bought the sweet from there, as I had not seen them in bakeries in Kerala during that time. In fact, only recently I learned from my mother that my uncle had brought those sweets from Bangalore on his way. Two years after my first taste of peda, he visited us again and he took me to a bakery shop near my place. He asked me what I wanted. My eyes passed through all those delicacies showcased in glass covered boxes. A moment..ah! it was there! I was pleasantly surprised to see my sweet wheels well arranged in the glass showcase. I pointed that to my uncle. He said to the guy at the counter...... "one dozen doodh peda please". Wow! doodh peda! that name is really inviting and apt for that sweet wheel. It marked the start of my relationship with pedas, the first sweet dish I tried out making during my school days. I made khova/mawa by reducing the milk by stirring it for one hour. My mom was surprised to see my patience and perseverance in doing that. :)
Gradually as I was growing, my love for all varieties of sweets kept growing, still most of it was still reserved for pedas.  It's smell, texture and mouthwatering taste always lures me.
The recipe which I am posting below is a slight variation of traditional peda. I used ricotta cheese to make the preparation easy and to give it a smooth texture. Do try it out!
Note - I was inspired by the blog on using ricotta cheese for peda, but along the way, I have added some ingredients of my choice.

Ingredients:

• Ricotta cheese.................................................................... 15oz.
• Sugar ................................................................................. 1 cup
• Milk powder....................................................................... 1 cup
• Condensed milk.................................................................. 2 tbsp
• Clarified butter( ghee )....................................................... 2 tbsp
• Cardamom powder.............................................................. 1 tsp
• Pistachios ( thinly chopped )............................................... 2 tsp / as required
• Saffron................................................................................. a pinch (to garnish, optional)

Method:

• Heat a pan and add ghee to it.
• Once it is gets melted, add ricotta cheese and cook under low flame for 20 - 25 mins.
• The moisture content should evaporate fully. Stir it continously.
• Next add sugar to it.
• Once the sugar dissolves with the cheese add condensed milk and milk powder and cook till the mixture start leaving from the sides of the pan. It will take 15 - 20 mins.
• Take a small portion of it and try rolling it into a ball. If it attains the shape without sticking to your palm, then we can access that the right consistancy has attained.
• Add cardamom powder at this stage and stir well.
• Remove the mixture from heat and let cool.
• When warm enough to handle, squeeze a small lemon size portion of the mixture between your fingers and palm to form small balls.( apply a little ghee on your palm to avoid sticking).  Give each ball a slight press between your palms to get a flat shape. 
• Garnish with chopped pistachios and saffron (if using).
• Serve and enjoy :)