Dharwad peda step-by-step recipe with photos.
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About this recipe
Dharwad peda is a sweet delicacy unique to the state of Karnataka. It originated from Dharwad which is in north Karnataka. Dharwad peda is rich brown in colour unlike the traditional pedas made with khoya. Like any other peda, the main ingredient of Dharwad peda is milk.
Making this delightful sweet at home is like a dream come true for me. I prefer Dharwad peda over traditional pedas any day. I have tried it in several ways and this recipe has worked the best.
Dharwad peda origin
Dharwad peda was originally started by the Thakur family who had migrated from Uttar Pradesh to Dharwad in the early 19th Century. Ram Ratan Singh Thakur, a first-generation confectioner, started producing and selling pedas locally. Dharwad peda was prepared from the milk of Dharwadi buffaloes which are raised by the Gavali community in and around Dharwad. His grandson Babu Singh Thakur helped grow the family business further in their Line Bazaar store and the peda came to also be called locally as the "Line Bazaar Peda". The family closely guards the recipe of the Peda as a trade secret that has been passing down the lineage. Babusingh Thakur's single outlet store that was running for a few decades expanded later in Dharwad, Hubli, Bangalore, and Haveri.
Ingredients
Milk: I use whole milk to make the Dharwad peda.
Lemon juice: Lemon juice is used to curdle the milk and separate the whey out.
Ghee: These pedas use a minimal amount of ghee.
Sugar: I use plain white sugar here but you may use raw sugar too.
Tips and tricks
Use full-fat milk to make the peda, and where possible, use unhomogenised milk.
Have patients. Stirring the mixture will take some time but the wait is worth it.
Make sure to grind the initial mixture into a smooth paste. Any lumps or unground paneer pieces will ruin the texture of the peda.
Coarsely grind the sugar which is used for rolling the peda. Do not roll peda in powdered sugar - it should be slightly coarse. At the same time, it should not be rolled in thick crystals of sugar.
This unique, grainy, crumbly, mildly sweet peda is something you don’t want to miss. And don’t worry, the main ingredient to make this delicious peda is patience. As long as it is there, the pedas will turn out amazing.
Follow this step-by-step recipe to yield fantastic results!
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Step by step instructions
1. Curdle milk using lemon juice
2. Put the chena into a frying pan and cook on low-medium flame until the moisture evaporates
3. Add ghee and sugar
4. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes brown taking care it does not burn
5. Combine the mixture with ¼ cup milk and grind into a smooth paste
6. Keep sauteing until all the moisture evaporates and the whole mixture comes together to form a mass
7. Transfer on to a plate and let it cool slightly
8. Roll the peda so that the sugar coats on to them completely
Recipe card
Dharwad Peda
Ingredients
- 2 liters milk
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoon sugar for rolling the pedas
- 2 tablespoon ghee
Instructions
- Place 2 litres milk in a thick bottom pan and bring to boil
- Pour in the lemon juice stirring continuously and turn off the heat. Let it sit for a minute. At this stage, the milk will curdle and whey separates from it
- Take a muslin cloth or cheesecloth into a colander and pour the curdled milk (chena/channa) into it. Gently squeeze out excess whey from it
- Put the chena into a frying pan and cook on low-medium flame until the moisture evaporates
- Add ghee, sugar and mix well. Mix until the sugar melts completely
- Keep stirring until the mixture becomes brown taking care it does not burn
- Turn off the flame and let it cool
- Combine the mixture with ¼ cup milk and grind into a smooth paste
- Transfer the paste back to the frying pan and saute on low-medium flame
- Keep sauteing until all the moisture evaporates and the whole mixture comes together to form a mass
- Transfer on to a plate and let it cool slightly
- Pinch out a small portion of the mixture and shape them into oval pedas
- Spread the caster sugar on a plate. Roll the peda so that the sugar coats on to them completely
- Serve Dharwad peda immediately or store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
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