Peda using Gulab Jamun Mix - Super Quick Sweet in 3 minutes!

So, I had a packet of MTR Gulab Jamun Mix sitting in my pantry and about to expire in a month's time. I definitely did not want to make them into jamuns...deep frying plus lots of sugar in the syrup...strictly prohibited, given the rate at which I am gaining weight nowadays. I looked at what went into the Jamun Mix and had to think hard looking at the ingredients' list. Obviously, sugar was out of the equation, so I thought of jaggery spontaneously.  I decided to make jaggery syrup and mix in this powder but that turned out to be not-so-good. Figured out it needed some diary products (too much of wheat cream doesn't taste good), so I made jaggery syrup with milk (and not water) and also added some milk powder along with the Gulab Jamun mix. Parfait!

What I Used -

100 g of MTR Gulab Jamun Mix
50 g of Nestle Instant Milk powder
3 tbsp of jaggery
2 tbsp of milk
2 pinches of cardamom powder
2-3 pistachios - to garnish
a few drops of oil - to bring everything together and make into pedas.

How I Made These Cute Pedas -

1. Added jaggery and milk to a microwave-safe bowl and microwaved for 2 minutes.
2. Once syrupy, added the Gulab Jamun mix powder and the Milk powder, along with cardamom powder.
3. Used my hand (clean!) to bring everything together. Had to sprinkle a teaspoon or two of milk powder additionally since it was a bit too sticky.
4. Finally, brought the whole mass into a rather tough dough after greasing my palms with oil.
5. Divided the dough into 6, shaped them into balls first and then flattened into pedas.
6. Decorated by pressing the center a bit and filling with crushed pistachios!
7. Keep them refrigerated and Microwave each peda for 30-40 seconds just before serving.

Voila!

When I showed this to my dad, he asked me if I bought them from Sri Krishna Sweets! Isn't that enough? :-)

Make these pedas and show off to your friends and family and let them marvel at your culinary skills and creativity! Enjoy :-)

Notes:

• Shred and Use Paneer in place of milk powder for enhanced taste
• Replace jaggery with sugar (brown or white) for a different flavor.
• Since we add fresh milk to this, finish consuming the pedas within a day or two! (As if this has been a problem anytime! :D)
• Microwave times vary with the power of your microwave, so adjust accordingly. Mine is a 1000 W oven. 
• I got 6 pedas (as in the picture) with the above quantities. 

Puli Inji - Kerala Style

Puli means Tamarind, Inji for Ginger. Puli Inji is a thickish sauce with these two as the main ingredients.  It is served as part of Onam Sadya. Quick n easy to make, it's tangy, slightly sweet and is loved by all!

Puli Inji

 

What You Need -

Tamarind - a medium sized lemon (Soak in 2 cups water and extract pulp, discard seeds)
Jaggery (grated or coarsely powdered) - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Green chillies- 2 numbers
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp (adjust to taste)

To Temper -

Coconut Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
Mustard /kadugu - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 3/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup - to be fried till golden brown (add finally)

Method -

• This dish is done in a single pan. Do the tempering first after heating some coconut oil. Fry till urad dal turns slightly reddish and a nice aroma evolves. Finally add grated coconut and fry until it turns golden colored.
• Soak tamarind in 2 cups of warm water for about 10 minutes and extract the juice. Throw away the seeds and strands. 
• First, add finely minced ginger to the tempering in the pan and then follow with green chillies (Pardon me, I used red chilli padi as I ran out of green chillies that day). 
• Add the extracted pulp of tamarind and let boil together.
• Add salt, chilli powder and turmeric (haldi).
• Finally, add some jaggery to balance out the flavors. The traditional recipe calls for jaggery.

• Let everything boil together and thicken like sauce.

This will be tart yet sweet!
Makes a great side-dish for idlis, dosas and many more! Puli Inji can also be mixed with rice and enjoyed.

This recipe makes 1 and 1/2 cups of Puli Inji. Store in a dry container in the fridge and this stays good for several days. 
 
Check out the Kanjeevaram Idlis that I made recently. My family enjoyed the combo of these idlis with Puli Inji. 

Sending this to "Only South Indian" at Foodelicious