Makkan Peda

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Makkan Peda / Stuffed Gulab Jamun is a rich & sumptuous Arcot delicacy that is soft, juicy in texture and heavenly in taste!

How to make Makkan Peda?

The Arcot Makkan Peda has a close resemblance to Gulab Jamun but the dry fruit stuffing gives an edge to this Nawabi regal sweet. Ghee / butter
is added in the dough to get soft, melt-in-the-mouth, buttery texture. And that’s why the name ‘Makkan Peda’, I believe. The jamuns are slightly flattened to give the peda effect. In the original Arcot Makkan Peda, ghee is added in the sugar syrup also, to enhance the richness of the sweet. But in my version, I have skipped adding that.

Ingredients

Maida – 150 gm
Khoya / Mawa – 100 gm, unsweetened
Desi Ghee – 2 tbsp
Baking Soda – a pinch
Thick Curd – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 cup
Water – 3/4 cup
Elaichi powder – 1/2 tsp
Food colour – 2 or 3 drops (yellow or orange)
Dry Fruits – 1/4 cup (equal amount of cashew, badam, raisin,
melon seeds)
Oil for deep frying

Method

Chop dry fruits into fine pieces. Crumble or grate the khoya to remove lumps if any.
Mix maida, khoya, desi ghee, baking soda, curd into a soft dough.
Roll a small amount of dough to check, if it cracks then add little
amount of milk and give a knead. Keep it covered for 10 mins.
In a pan, add sugar and water. Boil till the sugar gets dissolved. Add a spoon of milk to the syrup.
The dirt scum gets collected at the sides. Remove the dirt using the spoon.
Add elaichi powder and food colour. Boil the syrup for 5-8 mins in low flame. Switch off the flame.
When we add the jamun pedas, the syrup has to be hot but not boiling.
Grease your hands, take small lemon sized dough.
Roll it into smooth round, stuff it with a tsp of chopped dry fruits.
Flatten the jamuns slightly. Keep it covered in a plate.
Heat oil in a kadai. Keep the flame to medium-low.
Start frying jamuns 5 or 6 at a time till it is golden in colour.
Soak it at once in the hot sugar syrup. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.
Transfer the jamun pedas with the syrup to a flat-bottomed bowl in a single tier so that it gets soaked properly.
After 5-6 hrs of soaking, serve hot or chilled.

Notes

If the oil is very hot, inner layer of the jamun will remain uncooked. If the heat is low, jamuns would crack and the stuffing would come out. So, the right temperature of the oil should be maintained throughout while deep frying.