My better half loves Gulab Jamun, and I can say he is an expert in identifying whether the Jamuns are made with Khoa or from readymade mixes. His organoleptic senses are quite exceptional in terms of desserts.
Khoa Gulab Jamuns, besides being my family’s favorite dessert, are also one of the delicacies offered to Goddess Lakshmi during Lakshmi Pujan in Diwali at my home. I must admit, it has taken me quite a number of trials to finally perfect the recipe and make them at home. If you haven’t checked the recipe of Gulab Jamuns then you must.
I had always preferred making Gulab Jamun from dairy bought Khoa and never thought of making Khoa from scratch until that day! Last year during Navratri I invited some friends for lunch, and decided to serve Gulab Jamuns for the final course. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, my usual dairy supplier for Khoa had remained closed that day and I had no choice left other than buying it from a replacement vendor. Despite my best efforts, the Gulab Jamuns failed to attain the ‘oh-so-soft-that-it-melts-in-the-mouth’ texture and I had a practical experience of my project management lessons that I had learnt years ago “change in vendor may cause a risk to your project” and yes it had indeed ruined the final product. My guests were kind enough to recognize my efforts and they uncomplainingly ate the not so soft Gulab Jamuns. The only option that seemed plausible enough was learning to make Khoa at home which would eliminate any such mishaps in future. After several searches on internet, enquiring my aunties, grannies in surrounding, and over friendly talks with dairy owners I finally managed to prepare the Khoa at home. Since then, I have never used store bought Khoa in my desserts like Gulab Jamun, Mawa Cup Cakes and Gajar Ka Halwa.
Last year, when I was pursuing post-graduation in culinary arts, I learnt about milk and milk products and its fat percentage, etc. Scientifically, Milk is a colloid of butterfat globules within a water-based fluid. The average fat content in cow’s and buffalo’s milk are 4 percent and 6 percent respectively. Khoa is obtained by heating milk rapidly, stirring continuously till its moisture content dries up and it is left with milk solid.
The shelf-life of Khoa is about 2-4 days under ambient conditions and 3 weeks under refrigeration. Always store it below 4 degree centigrade to keep it safe for usage. If it’s not stored properly it permits the bacteria to grow the molds and becomes harmful for consumption. This explains the cases of food poisoning during Diwali that results from consuming bad quality Khoa Mithai. During festivals like Diwali, there are lot of malpractices in production, storing and handling of Khoa, which causes health issues like vomiting and serious digestion problems even leading to hospitalization.
It is hence advised, to make Khoa at home and store it in refrigerator for making sweetmeats (Mithai) during Diwali. I am sharing the recipe of khoa for your Diwali delicacies and wish you all happy, safe and prosperous Diwali!
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 250 grams
- 1 liter Full Cream Milk
- A large pan and a Spatula
- Pour milk in the pan and boil on high heat. As milk begins to boil, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer
- You need a great deal of patience for making Khoa. Keep stirring intermittently. Scrape out the deposited fats and solids from the sides and put them back in the milk.
- We must boil until it reduces to ⅕th of the total quantity.
- As per researchers, a full fat milk of greater than 6% fat content is an ideal choice for making Khoa. Skimmed Milk cannot be used directly for making Khoa.
- Milk will be reduced to Rabdi consistency after 55 mins of boiling on medium heat. You can use this reduced milk for Rabdi preparation 🙂
- Milk is reduced to Khoa consistency after 1 hour 15 mins. When it longer sticks to bottom of the pan, Khoa is ready. Now, switch off the heat.
- Transfer in another plate and allow it to cool down completely. As it cools down, it becomes more firm. You can refrigerate it in an air tight container and use later for your recipes.
- With little patience and concentration, we can make Khoa (Mava) at home. We can make recipes like Gulab Jamun and Mava Cup Cakes with homemade Khoa.
Click here to watch recipe video
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