Milk Peda (Doodh Pedha) Recipe, Benefits As Per Ayurveda

Liked by all, melts in the mouth in seconds, high in nutrition value, a treasured sweet dish – Milk peda is called Dugdha Pindika or Ksheera Pindika in Ayurveda.

Ayurveda explains about Doodh Peda as a nutrition rich recipe, perfect for people seeking weight gain and energy. It instantaneously energizes you, helps to get rid of fatigue and depression.  

Tamil Name – Tiratti Pal or Pal Gova
Hindi name – Doodh Peda
Sanskrit Name – Ksheera VatikaIt is colloquially known in Tamizh Tiratti pal or Pal gova and as Doodh peda in Hindi. 

Ingredients

Ingredients required of ksheeravatia or Tiratti Pal is as follows. The process is a little bit time consuming and may take at least an hour to beget the peda.
Milk – 4 parts;
Sugar -1/4 part,
Ghee -2 tsp;
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Method of preparation

Method of preparation of Doodh Peda: 
To a wide and deep-bottomed vessel kept over stove in medium flame add the ghee followed by milk and boil the milk to make the consistency of milk get thickened.

The boiling milk should be stirred quite often to prevent the condensing milk being charred at the surface of vessel.
The process of condensing or thickening of milk takes longer time to happen. Moreover, when the milk starts getting thickened to a considerable extent, the flame of the stove be simmered from medium.
Read – Cow Milk Benefits According To Ayurveda

The thickening milk gets adhered to the surfaces of the pan on all sides. This needs to be scraped, collected from the sides and brought to the center of the pan with the help of the flat ladle.
When the milk becomes solid mass, add sugar and ela churnam. Upon adding the sugar the milk becomes little watery

now once again start stirring until the milk becomes thick once again.
Now pour the thickened milk over a plate and spread the final product evenly over the plate with the help of flat ladle and allow to cool.
Cut  the cooled milk pastry into equal shapes of disc to get the final product of doodh peda.

Read related: Sugarless khajur Kheer (Date Milkshake) Recipe, Ayurvedic Benefits

Health benefits

Health Benefits of Doodh Peda
Snigdha – unctuous, oily
Kantiprada – improves skin complexion
Saukhyaprada – improves happiness, comfort, useful in depression
Shaktikari – improves energy
Causes Mandagni – low digestion strength
Durjara – takes a long time to undergo digestion
Kamagnisandipani – improves sexual vigor and strength.

Indications

Relieves
Trushna – excessive thirst
Shrama – tiredness, fatigue
Pittasra – Raktapitta –Bleeding disorders such as nasal bleeding, heavy periods, etc
Read: Kheer – Payasam: Ayurvedic Method Of Making, Benefits, Side Effects

Dudh Peda is unctuous [susnigdha] due to softening of the milk caused by  the process of preparation. It improves the complexion of the person who partake it and provides a feeling of satiation from thirst [saukhyapradā tṛṣṇā]. By providing energy, it relieves the fatigue. It is heavy for digestion and hence do not get digested properly in a person with mandagni. It alleviates the pitta and asra doṣās (bilious and sanguine Doshas). Due to the ghee used in the preparation, when partaken on regularly, it provides good amount nourishment to the tissues and thus increases the sexual desire.
Read related: Bonda Preparation, Benefits As Per Ayurveda

Reference

In Ayurveda Mahodadhi, vaidya Suṣeṇa over the chapter of Kritanna Varga,  mentions the qualities of a preparation named kṣīra vaṭikā.
Read related: Ayurvedic Way of Making Ghewar, Benefits

तैलपक्व क्षीर वटिका – [Tailapakva Ksheera Vatika]
A variant of Doodh Peda is mentioned in same chapter of Krutanna Varga. Tailapakva kṣīra vaṭikā.
सुस्निग्धा: क्Sईरवटिकाः कान्तिसौख्य बलप्रदाः । वातघ्नाअस्तैलपक्वास्ते वटका माम्ससंभवाः ।१४।

It is unctuous in property and when partaken provides stamina [balapradāḥ]; improves the complexion of skin [kāntisaukhya] and promotes bulky muscles [māmsasaṃbhavāḥ].

Author’s note:-
The preparation of the tailapakva kṣīra vaṭikā is almost the same similar to that of the kṣīra vaṭikā, except that in place of ghee the vātaghna taila be used.
Vd. Rangaprasad Bhat

Shri Raghunatha Soori explains the ingredients and method of preparation as well as health benefits of Pedha in his treatise Bhojana kuttokhalam.
Addition by Dr MS Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu), PhD

Method of preparation:
Cow’s milk is taken in a vessel of wider mouth and constantly boiled in mild intensity of heat, till it is very thick in consistency. To this, fine powder of sugar candy is added and heated further. When it is semisolid, fine powder of cardamom, clove, pepper (saffron, pista, badam, cashew nut etc can also be added) are added and mixed thoroughly.

It is compressed well into the required size and shape and on getting solid consistency it is preserved in closed containers.

Qualities and Action

nutritive, energizer, aphrodisiac, balances pitta and vata.

Utility:
It relieves fatigue, tiredness and debility.
This is recommended to the individuals who are having good digestive capacity; to increase the body strength and muscular bulk.
Read related – Jaggery Health Benefits, Usage, Side Effects – Full Ayurveda Details

Similar preparations can be prepared by using green gram flour also. Here fried green gram flour is fried with ghee. Then it is cooked along with milk; meanwhile sugar candy is also added. As it is thicker in consistency flavoring agents are added as per ones liking.
This is pressed well to obtain the desired shape and size.

This Pedha prepared out of green gram is considered to be good for summer season.
In colloquial language it is called Mudgadal.
Contact Dr MS Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu), PhD