Mathura Peda

Mathura peda are melt-in-the-mouth Indian sweets made from slow cooked mawa and sugar. No surprises here, they hail from the holy city of Mathura!

While they’re most famously prepared during Janmashtami celebrations, one bite is all it takes to have you craving them all year.

Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in October 2015. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.

In my opinion, Mathura’s brown penda have a beauty of their own and are distinct from white penda. Slow cooking the mawa gives them a toffee colour. Their shape is kept irregular, almost rustic, and each one is dusted in fine sugar.

The charm isn’t just in how they look though - it’s in the taste. The mawa becomes caramelised and nutty, giving the peda a deep richness.

During my gap year at 18, I visited temples in Vrindavan and was immediately drawn by the sweet smell of freshly made mathura penda. Sadly, I wasn't eating outside food there, but once I got home, I asked my mum to make them. She knew the recipe well, and that’s how these treats found their way onto the blog over ten years ago.

We make them together every few Janmasthamis and this recipe has always worked wonderfully.

Ingredients notes & Tips

Mawa (khoya) - it's quite difficult to buy readymade mawa in the UK, so I always make mawa at home using milk powder. If its avaliable, you'll find it in the chilled section of Indian grocery stores. You'll then need to grate it before using in the recipe.

Sugar - specifically you need caster sugar because regular sugar will be too grainy.

Nutmeg powder - a must for authentic mathura peda.

Cardamom powder - adds classic flavour to Indian sweets.

Extras - milk & ghee - you'll need full fat milk and possibly ghee whilst slow roasting the mawa to keep it moist and prevent it burning.

Quick Tip 1: I've noticed that homemade mawa is moister than store-bought, so use less milk when slow cooking.

Quick Tip 2: Slow roast the mawa on medium-low heat. It takes about 15-20 minutes but don't rush it.

Quick Tip 3: If pedas turn hard, reheat in a pan with a splash of milk until soft and reshape. You can skip adding any extra sugar.

Mathura peda are commonly made for Janmashtami, so why stop there? We usually prepare a feast of moraiyo, rajgira kadhi, farali potato peanut bhaji, farali thepla and buff vada. The perfect delicious and filling festival spread.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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