Agra Ka Petha

All of us who have a sweet tooth especially for Indian sweets must have been well known with Petha and specially Agra ka Petha. This very famous sweet from the city of Taj Mahal- Agra has a nostalgic place in some of our childhood memories. This is our amateur effort to recreate this expressed recipe hope this turns out as good as original for all of us.
Ingredients:

• 500 gms Ash Gourd / Petha
• 500 gms Sugar
• 1 tsp Lime juice
• 1 full tsp Alum Powder / Phitkari
• Water
• Few drops of any Essence to flavor
• Saffron or few drops of Food Color ( Optional )
• 1 tbsp Coconut Powder
• Castor Sugar as per required to coat

Method:

1. Wash and peel the Petha
2. Cut into big chunks about 2” inch in size.
3. Take out the seeds along with the soft portion.
4. Pierce the Petha pieces with a fork from all sides.
5. Properly immerse the pieces of Petha into the Alum powder mixed water for about 4 hours.
6. After this take out and dry the pieces under a fan for about half hour.
7. Now prepare the sugar syrup dissolving sugar along with 1 cup of water.
8. Add Lemon juice.
9. When the sugar syrup boils up and starts getting thick add the paces of Petha into it with saffron or any food color as desired.
10. Keep on boiling them for about 4 min on a low flame.
11. Put off the burner now and keep the Petha pieces in the sugar syrup for about 4 to 5 min.
12. You can see them turning transparent in color.
13. Take them out now over a sieve to cool down and dry up.
14. Here you can sprinkle any kind of Essence over them.
15. Keep the Petha pieces in a cool and dry place for about 12 hours.
16. You can now coat them up with Castor sugar and Coconut powder.

Serving:

• You can store the Petha for about a month in an air tight container at a cool and dry place.

Tips:

• Make Petha in a heavy bottom non stick pan to avoid over cooking or burning of Petha.
• Make sure that your pieces of Petha don’t become too soft while boiling.
• Turning of the Petha transparent signifies that the pieces have well absorbed the sugar.
• You can reuse the prepared sugar syrup to add sugar in tea, coffee or any other sweet item preparation.