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Khoya is one of the most important elements in Indian sweets and desserts. It serves as a base element to create many delectable recipes like gulab jamun, gujiya and barfi. From North India to South India, several regions in India use khoya to create utterly delicious recipes that melt in the mouth.
The making process of khoya starts with simmering full-fat milk in a heavy-bottomed container. The milk is simmered for several hours on a constant medium flame until it's reduced into a thick custard with no water content. These milk solids are then rested for a few minutes and used in making dishes.
On the occasion of Holi, khoya plays an important role in forming crucial festive sweets like gujiya and malpua. The decadent and fatty texture of khoya creates a heavenly bite in the mouth and releases rich and creamy flavours. This Holi, make the festival even more special by creating these khoya-based desserts and sweets at home.
7 Khoya-Based Desserts For Holi
1) Khoya Gujiya
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Khoya gujiya is the principal gujiya recipe which uses khoya as the main ingredient in the filling. It is mixed with several dry fruits and aromatic spices like cardamom, saffron, and clove powder. For sweetness, sugar or jaggery is added. The filling is stuffed inside the thin pastry wrap and deep-fried to golden perfection.
2) Khoya Malpua
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Malpua is another important Holi festival sweet which is also offered to deities for the festive pooja. While there are many variations of this recipe, the most significant one is Khoya malpua. First, khoya is mixed with hot water to create a slurry, and then flour and other ingredients are added to it to create a thick batter. This batter is then fried in oil and soaked in sugar syrup.
Also Read: Holi 2024: Date, Time, Significance And More
3) Mawa Barfi
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Barfi is a staple khoya recipe that is entirely made with khoya. For this, khoya solids are mixed with sugar and cooked on low heat in a pan till the sugar gets mixed and khoya becomes liquidy. When the mixture starts to thicken, nuts and seeds are added to it along with saffron-infused milk. The mixture is then spread on a pan and allowed to sit for a few minutes, then cut into cubes and served.
4) Gulab Jamun
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You may have seen several variations of gulab jamun that use oil for kneading. But the authentic Indian variation uses khoya in flour. This gives gulab jamun an extremely rich texture and makes it very satisfying. Khoya combines all the spices like cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg together in the gulab jamun and gives a slight depth to the dish.
5) Khoya Kheer
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Khoya might seem like an optional element in Kheer, but once you try it this way, you will forget about other recipes. Adding khoya to kheer infuses the custardy dish with a very rich and decadent texture that melts in the mouth and immerses amusing flavours. With the addition of khoya, the consistency becomes slightly thicker than the classic version, which is why it tastes so good.
6) Khoya Sheera
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Sheera is a Maharashtrian delicacy made with roasted rava or sooji. Introducing khoya to this recipe will give it a delightfully nutty and creamy taste and infuse all the spices together. The addition of dry fruits like cashews, almonds, and pistachios adds a pleasant bite to the dessert.
7) Khoya Phirni
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Phirni is a North Indian dessert traditionally made by cooking rice flour in milk. Khoya is added to this dessert to increase the thickness and infuse nutty flavours. Its texture is very creamy with smooth chunks of khoya and rice flour that melt in the mouth. You can make this dessert for Holi to give your Holi meals a delightful finale.
This Holi, indulge in the magic of Khoya by making these amazing desserts with it. These desserts will add a festive touch to your meals and also serve as a gratifying conclusion to end the feast.
