Dharwad Pedha (Sweetened Paneer Cheese)

Ingredients

• For the curds:
• Milk (full fat)
• Lime juice
• For the pedha:
• Ghee
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• Cardamom powder
• Sugar for garnish

Method

1. Bring milk to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
2. Gradually mix in lime juice, one tablespoon at a time, until the milk solidifies and the curds (solids) separate from the whey (greenish water).
3. Strain this mixture through cloth, and reserve the solid curds. This is paneer.
4. Heat ghee in a frying pan over low heat.
5. Add the curds to the pan, and press with a spoon to form small grains. Cook for 10–15 minutes over low flame, then remove curds from the heat.
6. Combine the curds with the milk and sugar. Make it into a paste, and return it to the frying pan.
7. Start cooking on medium heat very patiently with nonstop stirring. If you see it drying out, add a little more milk.
8. When the mixture becomes brown and granular, remove it from pan. It may take as long as 1.5 hours to reach this consistency.
9. Mix in cardamom, and let it cool down.
10. Once the pedha cools to normal temperature, mix it in a grinder until smooth. If it is too dry to shape, mix in 2–3 tablespoons of milk until it reaches the right consistency.
11. Roll into uneven oval-shaped pedha.
12. Garnish the shaped pedha with little sugar.
13. Serve immediately or store for up to a week in airtight containers.