Milk Sweet- Pal Khova/Khoya


Pal khova is a sweet that I loved as a kid. We used to buy it in little blocks at our school's tuck shop or canteen and it was almost addictive! It is made of milk that is cooked down with sugar until it thickens and is similar to the South American milk sweet Dulce De Leche which is cooked a little more until the milk caramelizes.


Pal Khoya
Ingredients:
  • Milk, preferably full cream ( You can also use non fat but the yield will be lower)- 1 lt ( i.e 4 cups)
  • Sugar- 2 tbsp ( You can add more if you want it sweeter)
  • Cardamom (Elaichi) Powder – 1 tsp
  • Lemon Juice – 1/2 tsp
Method:
1. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan, preferably one that is non stick
2. Once it starts boiling, reduce flame to medium
3. Now add the lemon juice to the milk, a few drops at a time, so that the milk curdles just a little.
Make sure you don't add more than 1/2 a teaspoon as otherwise it may become too sour.
4. Turn the heat down to low. Stir the milk frequently so that the milk does not burn or stick to the pan, especially in the bottom.
5. Once the milk starts turning thick, add the sugar and cardamom powder, and keep stirring.
6. Continue to stir until the milk has become a stringy, powdery white solid and there is no water left. This soild is called Milk Koya or Pal khova.
7. Remove from flame and allow it to cool down.
8. You can also add a few drops of rosewater as well as some slivers of badam/almond and pistachio nuts if you like.
9. Either serve it warm and gooey like I did, or knead it into any shape and chill it in the fridge so that it hardens.

For the South American sweet Dulce De Leche made with condensed milk, in about 15 mins in the microwave, which in the liquid state can be used to fill cakes, tarts etc. see here 
For a choco-variation of this that's made in the microwave and so is much quicker try this recipe here
Here are some more ways to make this 

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