We are lucky to have been blessed with loads of palatable Indian sweets and desserts. One of the beloved Indian desserts that comes from Agra is Petha. Petha is a translucent soft candy that is made from ash gourds or white pumpkin. This mouth-watering dessert is overly juicy with a perfect crisp on the outside. Petha is simply prepared by cutting white pumpkin into cubes, soaking in limestone water, boiling and lastly dipping them in a flavored sugar syrup. There is nothing difficult about making a batch of petha at home. However, the process usually takes about a day or two. Let's cut to the chase and get you to know everything about the tips and tricks to ace petha at home. Here are 3 easy and essential tips you must always remember.
1. Dip the ash gourd cubes in limestone water for hours
Once you have cut the ash gourd into square shaped cubes, the next step is dipping them in limestone water. This is in fact the first and the foremost step in the entire preparation that needs to be done in the right manner. You must dip the ash gourd cubes in lime water for at least 8-10 hours. This is done so that the outer layer has the perfect crispiness.
2. Always drain excess water
Another thing you must consider is draining excess water after boiling the petha. There must be no water and moisture left inside the boiled ash gourd cubes. Strain the water using a cloth. If you do not drain the water completely, it won’t be as soft and juicy from the inside as it should be.
3. Soak petha in sugar syrup for a day
The final step in the whole making of pethas is soaking them in sugar syrup. Never compromise on time when it comes to letting your petha soak in water. Leave them dipped in syrup syrup for a day in a big vessel/ container. This will help coat the syrup well from all the sides. You can also add a pinch of kesar powder for extra flavouring. So if you want juicy pethas, this is a tip to follow.
Here is the full recipe you can check out.
