Makkan peda Recipe, is a soft and delicious sweet that is famous in Arcot, Tamil Nadu. It has a soft texture similar to gulab jamun. These pedas are stuffed with nuts, fried and soaked in sugar syrup. It is perfect for festive occasions like Diwali, Holi. Here is how to make makkan peda at home with step-by-step pictures.
Makkan Peda Recipe
This makkan peda recipe is super duper hit in my house. It is very easy to make and taste absolutely fantastic. Normally they use khoya to make this recipe but I modified the recipe using milk powder.
I used everyday milk powder and it worked just wonderful. It tasted similar to gulab jamun but it a little dense in texture. But I enjoyed this more than jamun.
About Arcot Makkan Peda Recipe
I love trying traditional sweets from different parts of India and Arcot makkan peda is one such sweet that is always special. This famous sweet from Arcot, Tamil Nadu, looks a little like gulab jamun but has its own unique taste and texture.
Making makkan peda at home is not difficult, as the shaping, frying and soaking process is similar to gulab jamun. Traditionally, khoya is used to make the peda dough, but in this recipe, I have used milk powder instead.
The dough is made with milk powder, butter, milk, yogurt, plain flour, baking soda, salt. The dough was just right and gives perfect texture every time.
I have filled the pedas with nuts and dry fruits and soaked them in cardamom saffron flavoured sugar syrup. The pedas absorb the syrup and turn soft and juicy, while the nutty filling adds a crunchy taste in every bite.
If you love gulab jamun or bread jamun, you will surely enjoy this Arcot special makka peda too. Serve it after a festive meal or make a batch to share with family and friends.
Similar Recipes
Ingredients
- Milk powder : Milk powder is used instead of khoya in this recipe. It gives the makkan peda a rich milky taste and helps make it soft.
- All purpose flour : maida or plain flour is added to form the dough.
- Milk : Milk added to make the dough soft and smooth. Add little by little to get the right consistency.
- Unsalted butter : Butter helps make the pedas stay soft.
- Baking soda : A small amount of baking soda added to make the pedas soft and light.
- Curd / Yogurt : Use fresh curd and mix it well with the other ingredients.
- Dried fruits and nuts : Use nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios, sultanas for the stuffing.
- Sugar & water : Sugar and water are used to prepare the syrup. This syrup gives the peda its sweetness and soaks them well for a juicy pedas.
- Flavourings - I used cardamom and saffron as flavouring.
- Oil - I used oil for frying, you can use ghee also.
Step by Step Pictures
Sugar Syrup
1)First on one side of the stove make syrup. Take sugar in a large pan which can fit the makkan peda later.
2)Add water and bring it to a full boil.
3)Boil the sugar syrup for 6 to 8 minutes until it reaches sticky stage. Don't over cook the sugar syrup else the peda won't absorb the syrup.
4)Add cardamom and saffron and mix well.
6)Cover and set aside somewhere warm. You can reheat before soaking the peda.
Makkan peda dough
7)Take milk and butter in a sauce pan.
8)heat till butter is melted. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Set aside.
9)Now in a large mixing bowl. Add milk powder.
10)Pour in the melted butter and milk mixture.
11)Add in yogurt.
12)Add in baking soda and salt.
13)Mix this really well.
14)Now add in flour into this milk powder mixture.
15) Gently knead to bring the dough together. If the mixture is dry, you can add some warm milk if needed. Don't over knead the dough. Gently bring the dough together. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
16)Chop nuts and raisins into small pieces.
Shaping Makkan peda
17)Now lets shape the dough into peda. Take a small portion of dough and flatten it.
16)place some nuts in the middle.
17) Bring the dough from all the sides and seal the edges.
18)Seal it and roll it into a smooth ball.
19)Now flatten it gently into peda.
Frying Peda
20)Heat oil or ghee for deep frying. Don't over heat the oil, it should be in low to medium heat. Drop peda in oil one by one gently in batches and fry on medium to low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
21)gently flip the peda and cook on low heat for another 4 minutes, flip in-between so it gets evenly golden brown in colour.
Soaking in syrup
22)Strain the peda using a slotted spoon and drop in the warm sugar syrup. Let the peda soak for 2 hours.
23)Once soaked, gently remove the peda from the syrup.
24)serve immediately with some nuts.
Expert Tips
Make Smooth Dough - Mix the ingredients gently until it forms a smooth and soft dough. Avoid over-kneading, as it can make the pedas hard.
No Cracks when Rolling - Fill the nuts in small portions so they fit easily inside the dough. After stuffing the nuts, seal the pedas properly without any cracks into a smooth ball. This helps prevent the filling from coming out while frying. Flatten the stuffed balls slightly to get the traditional peda shape. Don't press too hard, as the filling may spill out.
Variations - For a lighter version, you can air fry the pedas if preferred. Garnish the pedas with chopped nuts while serving.
Storage - Store the makkan pedas in a clean, airtight container. It stays good at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. You can also refrigerate the pedas for a week.
Serving - Serve makkan peda with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or rabri for an indulgent dessert. It is also perfect to serve after a meal or during special occasions. You can enjoy it either warm or chilled based on your preference.
FAQ
Q. Can I make makkan peda with khoya ?
Definitely ! You can use khoya instead of milk powder to make makkan peda. It gives the sweet a richer taste and soft, creamy texture.
Q. Why did my makkan peda turn so hard ?
This happens if the dough is too stiff or over kneaded. Add milk as needed to make a soft dough and gently knead while shaping the pedas.
Q. Why are pedas brown outside but uncooked inside ?
This happens when you fry the pedas in too hot oil, which causes the outside to brown quickly while the inside remains uncooked. To avoid that, fry the pedas on low to medium heat so they cook evenly.
Q. Why is my makkan peda not absorbing the sugar syrup ?
This may be if the sugar syrup is too thick or the pedas may have cooled down too much. For juicy pedas, soak the freshly fried pedas in warm syrup so they become soft and delicious.
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Arkot Makkan Peda Recipe (Makkan Peda Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cup Dry Milk Powder
- ¼ cup Milk as needed
- 3 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida) or as needed
- 1 tablespoon Plain Yogurt (Curd)
For Stuffing
- ½ cup Mixed Nuts finely chopped
- ¼ cup Kishmish (Sultanas, Golden Raisins)
For Sugar Syrup
- 3 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- ½ teaspoon Saffron
Instructions
- First on one side of the stove make syrup. Take sugar, water in a large pan which can fit the makkan peda later. Bring it to a full boil. Boil the sugar syrup for 6 to 8 minutes until it reaches sticky stage. Don't over cook the sugar syrup else the peda won't absorb the syrup.
- Add cardamom and saffron and mix well. Cover and set aside somewhere warm. You can reheat before soaking the peda.
- Now make the makkan peda dough, take milk and butter in a sauce pan, heat till butter is melted. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Set aside.
- Now in a large mixing bowl. Add milk powder, the melted butter and milk mixture, yogurt, baking soda and salt. Mix this really well.
- Now add in flour into this milk powder mixture and gently knead to bring the dough together. If the mixture is dry, you can add some warm milk if needed. Don't over knead the dough. Gently bring the dough together. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Now lets shape the dough into peda. Take a small portion of dough, place some nuts in the middle, cover it and roll it into a smooth ball. Flatten it like a peda.
- Heat oil or ghee for deep frying. Don't over heat the oil, it should be in low to medium heat. Drop peda in oil one by one gently in batches and fry on medium to low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, gently flip the peda and cook on low heat for another 4 minutes, flip in-between so it gets evenly golden brown in colour.
- Strain the peda using a slotted spoon and drop in the warm sugar syrup. Let the peda soak for 2 hours.
- Once soaked, gently remove the peda from the syrup and serve immediately with some nuts.
Nutrition
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Sivasankari
Making peda, Can we use readymix jamun powder instead of milk powder ??
Aarthi
yes u can
Sivasankari
Making peda ,Can we use readymix jamun powder instead of milk powder ?? Reply plz and this recipe was awesome.
Aarthi
yes u can
Kavita
Is there any substitute of Unsalted butter??? Plz reply
Aarthi
you can use ghee
Sowmiya
Wat milk powder did u use
Aarthi
Nestle everyday milk powder
rajkohila
Is everyday dairy whitener the same as milk powder.....Got to see everyday dairy whitener in many shops but couldn't get a glimpse of milk powder
Priya
Plz Do try arcot kulla samosa recipe. Its very very tasty sweet.
Sharda
Hello.. I had this years ago as a child at a function my family attended but never knew what it was called. I have always wanted to have this again but never knew where to find it. Some people told me this was called Gulab Jamun but it was not the same - the Jamun was very hard and more like a crunchy, brown oversized Kurma covered with powdered sugar - what a disappointment! I am so glad i found your blog.
I really want to try this recipe but where i live, people refer to tumeric as saffron and i am told that they are really not one and the same. Would tumeric suffice or could you suggest possible substitutes since i cannot find authentic saffron anywhere.
Thanks in advance for any assiatance you can give in this regard and please be encouraged to continue sharing a taste of India for the world to savor.
Lakshmi
it turned out good