Theratti Paal / Paal Khova / Khoya

Theratti Paal or Khova is a simple Indian sweet made from reduced milk. It is one of the most commonly prepared milk-based sweets that is insanely decadent. It is kind of the Indian version of dulce de leche, just not as caramelized because the sugar is added at the very end. 

My grandmother used to prepare this delicacy quite often, and especially for me, because this is one of the very few sweets that I really like. Bless her, she used to make a tub of it every time she came to visit. Although khova is quite straightforward and simple to prepare, it is time and labor intensive if one wants to prepare it from scratch using just milk. Milk takes a while to reduce (at least one hour or more depending on the volume) and you need to keep stirring to avoid it from burning. Other than that piece, it is quite impossible to mess this sweet!

Last weekend, my husband began craving for Khova. And when he craves for a certain food, he has to have it. So, he asked me what ingredients were needed, and I said - milk and sugar. That was enough to bring out the inner child in him, and he wanted it made immediately. I then warned him that it takes time and I had work to do. So he assured me that he would do it, if I gave him directions. It was a win-win for me, so I conceded :). I asked him to bring "some" milk to a boil and continued with my work. I then peeped in after 10 minutes and realized that he'd emptied almost a gallon of milk and was religiously stirring it with a book in one hand! A gallon of milk would take forever to reduce, and did we really need so much khova?! Well, to be fair, the final volume of khova is significantly less compared to the initial volume of milk, but still, I felt sorry for him, and was a bit trepidatious that he would lose patience midway and I would have to do the rest of the stirring. But who knew that he was capable of exercising so much patience when it comes to something he really wants! I was quite impressed that he spent close to 3 hours in the kitchen (unheard of) patiently waiting for the milk to reduce!

So, thanks to him, we had delicious Paal Khova! Since it's Rama Navami today, I'm considering this an offering.

Also wrapped and served in butter/wax paper, similar to store bought ones

Ingredients (yields 2.5 -3 cups)

1. 15 cups of milk (we used just 2% milk) 
2. 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar (add more if needed)
3. 3 pinches of saffron (not usually added, but why would you not?!)
4. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (freshly ground)

Top Left: The consistency of reduced milk at which point, add sugar and cardamom; Top Right: The consistency of thickened Khova. Ready to remove from heat

Preparation:

1. Heat milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan (non-stick if you'd like) on medium-high heat (stirring every now and then) until it comes to a boil. 
2. Reduce the heat to low-medium, add saffron and continue boiling and stirring as often as possible. Needless to say, milk burns easily and this would ruin the whole dish.
3. After 10 minutes, increase the heat back to medium-high (so that the milk reduces faster) and continue stirring as often as possible, being all the more careful to not let it burn. Keep stirring until the milk changes color and thickens. You will be able to see the bottom of the pan as you stir (as shown in the picture). It took 2 hours and 45 minutes from the beginning of the process - from starting to boil the milk to get to this stage.
4. Now add sugar and cardamom powder and continue stirring on low heat (level 3 on a scale of 0-10) for 20-22 minutes until the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan (my khova is darker because of the addition of saffron. If you don't add saffron, it will take a milder color). Remember, the khova will thicken more as it cools, so don't over cook the khova.
5. Remove from pan and let it cool. Add roasted cashews and raisins for a nice flavor and crunch. We didn't add any.

Serve as is for a decadent treat! When warm to touch, you should be able to roll the khova into loose balls. You can slightly flatten the balls to form discs and place a roasted nut like cashew/almond in the middle for a better presentation. Usually khova is cloyingly sweet. One helping is all that one can muster. So we decided to add less sugar (well, relatively speaking).  This proportion was perfect for us! The natural sweetness and reduced flavor of milk came through beautifully. So, taste and add more to suit your liking. We also decided against adding ghee. Add ghee during the later stages for a moister, more flavorful Khova.

Store Khova in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. Serve slightly warm (microwave for 10 seconds)

Adaptation: An easier version is to just microwave condensed milk in regular intervals until it reaches the same consistency. But, as a disclaimer, the natural flavor that comes from reducing milk is quite hard to replicate in short cuts!