Khoa

Khoa is unsweetened condensed milk that’s cooked down until it has a dough-like consistency. Khoa or mava is a common ingredient in many Indian sweets and desserts, such as pedha and different kinds of barfis. It adds a rich, creamy taste to sweets. It takes a while to make this but if you want to make barfis and pedas at home, it’s worth it. If you’re a weight-watcher, you might want to consume this in small doses.

Servings: Makes 3/4 -1 cup khoa
Cooking Time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients

1 quart whole milk or 1 quart half-and-half

Preparation

1. In a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or pan, bring the milk to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook the milk, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent the milk from sticking and burning.
3. Continue to cook down until the milk becomes a thick mass, and starts coming off the sides of the pan.
4. Remove from heat, and let cool. As the khoa cools, it firms up and becomes like a soft dough.

Cooking Tip

If you want to cut down on the cooking time, use half-and-half. As it’s already semi-condensed, it’ll take about 40-45 minutes to make the khoa. One quart of half-and-half yields about 1 cup of khoa.

If not using immediately, wrap the khoa in plastic and refrigerate to keep it fresh for up to 2 weeks.

Category: Sweets and Desserts