As the festive season knocks the door, there is an increased demand for traditional Indian mithais—gulab jamun, barfi, pedas and more. Such luscious, inviting sweets highly rely on a common ingredient called khoya. One can imagine preparing or buying one's favourite mithai when one discovers, after opening the package, that the khoya used was adulterated. No one wants to face that, especially at the time of the festive season. The purity of khoya is the most important aspect towards getting that perfect texture and flavour in your sweets. And during peak seasons, the adulterated khoya enters the market, which lowers your otherwise great quality of mithai. You might know to distinguish between fake and genuine khoya is not very easy, but with these simple tests, the chances are really high for you to get pure, undiluted khoya in your festival sweets.
What is Khoya?
Khoya, or mawa, is a milk product achieved from boiling milk till it reduces, and most of its moisture evaporates. It is an essential ingredient of many Indian sweets like gulab jamun, peda, kalakand, and barfi. Khoya gives sweets a thick, creamy feel and is essentially the base holding sugar and other ingredients together for dense melt-in-the-mouth mithais. There are several varieties of khoya, classified according to its moisture content:
Batti Khoya: This one has the lowest moisture content and, therefore, prepares the longest-lasting sweets, such as barfi.
Daanedar Khoya: The coarse textured khoya is used particularly for making sweets like kalakand and for recipes which require a coarse finish.
Chikna Khoya: This type is softer and contains more moisture compared to the daanedar type and is most frequently used in making gulab jamun and pedas.
The process of making khoya is very time-consuming and hence is bought ready-made from markets. Pure khoya, however, has become a problem in these days of high demand during festivals.
How to Check the Purity of Khoya
Adulterated khoya can degrade the taste and texture of your sweets; more importantly, they can degrade your health. To avoid all these issues, a few simple tests can determine whether the khoya one is purchasing is pure or fake. Here are some tests that one may be able to do with the khoya purchased:
Iodine Starch Test
The most common adulterant of khoya is starch. To check for starch, take a teaspoon of khoya and mix it in hot water. Now add a few drops of iodine solution. If the mixture turns blue, then starch is confirmed to be present there. Pure khoya does not get coloured; it remains unchanged by the iodine. This way starch adulteration can be verified in a faster and effective method.
Palm Test
Pure khoya has a certain feel and texture. Use a small quantity of khoya over your palm, press it. Pure khoya will feel slightly grainy, have the greasy stain on the palm, and have the smell of ghee. Fake or adulterated khoya will be smooth or powdery in feel, with no greasiness or rich smell.
Taste and Smell
Pure khoya has a mild, sweet flavour and a buttery aroma, similar to ghee. Adulterated khoya might have chalky or bland taste and could smell chemical or pungent. Just use your senses while checking the quality of khoya.
How to Prepare Khoya at Home
The only way to ensure that you are not exposed to adulteration risk is to prepare khoya at home. Though the process sounds quite laborious, it is quite simple and requires just milk and patience. Here's how you can do it.
Ingredients:
1 litre of full-fat milk, preferably unpasteurised, for better richness
Method:
Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan to avoid burning and sticking. Heat the milk in a pan and let it boil on a medium flame. Stir occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Let it boil, then turn the flame to low. Let it simmer while constantly stirring. As the milk reduces, it will thicken. Keep cooking until most of the liquid is evaporated to form a thick creamy mixture.
Now, when it has reduced to nearly a quarter of its original volume and you can see the formation of solids, it is time to take the heat off. Your very own khoya is ready for use.
Let it cool and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 or 3 days. You can make variety of mithais with your homemade khoya, and you know just what went in. Making khoya at home not only makes it pure but gives a new depth of authenticity to the richness of your festive sweets.