Khoa (food)
Encyclopedia
Khoa is a milk food widely used in the Indian cuisine
, made of either dried whole milk or milk thickened by heating in an open iron pan.
It is similar to ricotta
cheese, but lower in moisture and made from whole milk instead of whey
.
There are three types of khoya - batti, chickna, and daanedaar. Batti, meaning “rock,” has 50% moisture by weight and is the hardest of the three types; it can be grated like cheese
. It can be aged for up to a year, during which it develops a unique aroma and a mouldy outer surface. Chickna (“slippery” or “squishy”) khoya has 80% moisture. For daanedaar, the milk is coagulated with an acid during the simmering; it has a moderate moisture content. Different types of khoya are used for different preparations.
n sweets. About 600,000 metric tons are produced annually in India. Khoa is made from both cow and water buffalo milk.
Khoa is normally white or pale yellow. If prepared in the winter, it may be saved for use in the summer, and may acquire a green tinge and grainier texture from a surface mould. This is called hariyali (green khoa) and is used to make gulab jamun
.
Khoa is made by simmering milk in an iron karahi
for several hours, over a medium fire. The gradual vaporization of its water content leaves coagulated solids in milk, which is khoa. The ideal temperature to avoid scorching is 175–180°F (about 80°C). Another quick way of making khoa is to add full fat milk powder to skimmed milk and mixing and heating until it becomes khoa.
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
, made of either dried whole milk or milk thickened by heating in an open iron pan.
It is similar to ricotta
Ricotta
Ricotta is an Italian dairy product made from sheep milk whey left over from the production of cheese. Although typically referred to as ricotta cheese, ricotta is not properly a cheese because it is not produced by coagulation of casein...
cheese, but lower in moisture and made from whole milk instead of whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...
.
There are three types of khoya - batti, chickna, and daanedaar. Batti, meaning “rock,” has 50% moisture by weight and is the hardest of the three types; it can be grated like cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
. It can be aged for up to a year, during which it develops a unique aroma and a mouldy outer surface. Chickna (“slippery” or “squishy”) khoya has 80% moisture. For daanedaar, the milk is coagulated with an acid during the simmering; it has a moderate moisture content. Different types of khoya are used for different preparations.
Preparation
A concentration of milk to one-fifth volume is normal in the production of khoa. Khoa is used as the base for a wide variety of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n sweets. About 600,000 metric tons are produced annually in India. Khoa is made from both cow and water buffalo milk.
Khoa is normally white or pale yellow. If prepared in the winter, it may be saved for use in the summer, and may acquire a green tinge and grainier texture from a surface mould. This is called hariyali (green khoa) and is used to make gulab jamun
Gulab jamun
Gulab jamun is a popular dessert in countries of the Indian Subcontinent such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids, traditionally, khoya, an Indian milk product is rolled into a ball together with some flour and then deep fried...
.
Khoa is made by simmering milk in an iron karahi
Karahi
A karahi is a type of thick, circular, and deep cooking pot used in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Nepalese cuisine. Karahi are traditionally made out of cast iron, and look like woks with rounded bottoms...
for several hours, over a medium fire. The gradual vaporization of its water content leaves coagulated solids in milk, which is khoa. The ideal temperature to avoid scorching is 175–180°F (about 80°C). Another quick way of making khoa is to add full fat milk powder to skimmed milk and mixing and heating until it becomes khoa.
Uses
Khoa is used in various types of sweets:- Pedha (penda in Gujarati) is sweetened khoa formed into balls or thick disks (like patties) with flavorings such as saffron and/or cardamom added.
- Gulab JamunGulab jamunGulab jamun is a popular dessert in countries of the Indian Subcontinent such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids, traditionally, khoya, an Indian milk product is rolled into a ball together with some flour and then deep fried...
Also a round ball sweet made from khoya and then deep fried and soaked in rose water flavoured sugar or honey syrup. A very poupular South Asian sweet. - BarfiBarfiBarfi, sometimes burfi or burfee , is a sweet confection from the Indian subcontinent. Plain barfi is made from condensed milk, cooked with sugar until it solidifies. There are many varieties of barfi, which include besan barfi , kaaju barfi , and pista barfi...
(or burfi) is also flavoured, but khoa is not the only ingredient. Typically, another ingredient, such as thickened fruit pulp or coconut shavings, is added to khoya and slow cooked until the moisture evaporates sufficiently to give the consistency of fudge, so it can be flattened and cut into rectangles, parallelograms or diamond shapes. - GujiaGujiaGujia , a Rajasthani cuisine, is a sweet dumpling made with suji or Maida flour wheat flour and stuffed with khoya.The packaging of a gujhia is very much like that of a samosa, however the gujhia has a very distinct shape...
, a sweet dumpling stuffed with khoa - Halwa is essentially a fudge made by adding khoa to give a dairy-like taste and texture and as a thickening agent.