Indian Malai Peda Protein Balls

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These delicious Indian-style protein balls are the ideal post-workout snack. Recipe contribution by Ankita Nimbalkar, the creator of KetoWoman91.

Peda is an Indian sweet usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. They are often served as ‘prasadam’ during religious services. Prasadam literally means a gracious gift. It denotes anything, typically food that is first offered to a deity, saint, Perfect Master or an avatar, and then distributed in His or Her name to their followers or others as a good sign.

Pedas originated in the city of Mathura in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. The main ingredients are khoa (evaporated milk), sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. The colour varies from a creamy white to a caramel.

To make these delicious pedas keto-friendly, you just need few ingredients. They will be soft and little crumbly when you make them, but firm and full of flavor once refrigerated.

Hands-on15 minutesOverall30 minutes

Nutritional values (per medium protein ball)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (5%), protein (43%), fat (52%)

Ingredients (makes 20 medium or 25 small protein balls)

• 400 g ricotta cheese (14.1 oz)
• 50 g unsalted butter (1.8 oz)
• 160 g whey protein powder, preferably unflavoured, or vanilla (5.6 oz)
• ¹/₃ cup powdered Erythritol or any low carb sweetener (53 g/ 1.9 oz), or to taste
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• butter or ghee for greasing
• Optional: 1 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
  
• Optional: chopped or whole almonds for topping

Note: Opt for quality whey or egg white protein isolate (not whey protein "concentrate" which contains more carbs) and try different flavors (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, etc).

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in the pan, keep the stove on low flame.
2. Add the ricotta cheese and mix with the butter. Keep mixing it till the cheese melts.
3. Add the sweetener and keep mixing it, ensuring the mixture does not stick to the pan.
4. Add the protein powder, half cup at a time, until the mixture starts to thicken. Keep stirring ensuring there are no lumps, and add the remaining powder. After 5 minutes of cooking, the mixture gets thick. Add the vanilla essence and cardamom powder and give it a good mix.
5. Let the mixture cool, so that you can shape them into balls. Grease your palms with butter or ghee and start shaping the lumpy mixture into small balls and pressing them slightly in the middle. You can make 20 medium shaped or 25 small shaped balls according to your own preference.
6. Optionally, top each ball with chopped or whole almonds. Keep the protein balls refrigerated for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, let them defrost in the fridge overnight.

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