Khoya Recipe (Homemade Mawa)

Khoya or Mawa is nothing, but milk solids made by cooking and evaporating the moisture from the milk slowly.

Making khoya at home is very easy but it is time-consuming. Mawa or khoya is easily available in market now a days, but sometimes it is not fresh, or you are living abroad where you can't get the fresh mawa. So, if you prefer to make it at home like me then go for it.

As traditional khoya making process is lengthy which might not work for many. So, I have already shared instant mawa or khoya recipe using milk powder.

During Diwali, many people including me make homemade mithai rather than buying store bought one. As you know that many Indian Mithai (Sweets) recipes call for mawa or khoya as the main ingredient. So today I am sharing a traditional way of making homemade khoya or mawa recipe.

Different Kinds of Mawa or Khoya:

Hard khoya - is very firm and solid, thus you can crumble it or grate it. It is made by reducing the milk to ⅕ part. Today we are making hard mawa. It is used to make burfi, peda, ladoo etc.

Soft khoya - also known as Hariyali or chikna mawa. If making soft mawa then stop reducing milk little earlier than mentioned stage below. This mawa is generally added to shahi or royal gravy (savory dishes).

Granular khoya - also known as danedar mawa. It is made by adding some Alum or Tartaric acid which gives granular texture to the khoya. To make this type of khoya one needs to be expert in it. This type is used in making traditional kalakand or granular burfi.

How To Make Khoya Recipe (Step By Step):

1) Take heavy bottom nonstick pan. Heat the milk in a pan on medium heat.

2) once it comes to a boil, let it simmer and reduce on medium-low flame. Keep stirring after every 3-4 minutes. If possible, use wider spatula like I am using. So it will cover the more area of the bottom pan while stirring and it will make your job easier. If you are using very tiny spoon or spatula then you might miss some of the bottom surfaces and milk will stick and burn there.

3) This is how it looks after 40 minutes. Don't forget to stir with scraping bottom of the pan and also sides of the pan.

4) At this time (after 40 minutes), it will be a little grainy like below.

5) And this is how it looks after 50 minutes (from the beginning).

6) This time it will be more grainy like below.

7) After this stage, you need to stir and scrape sides continuously.

8) keep stirring and keep cooking, till it becomes solid or dense like halwa. You will feel that it will take little effort for stirring. At this time, turn off the stove heat. This took me a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

9) Remove it to another bowl and let it cool completely. As it cools it will thicken and harden.

Storing khoya: once cools completely, it can be refrigerated up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. Or you can freeze it for a month or more.

Khoya Recipes:

• Khoya or mawa is used for making sweet and savory dishes.
• Sweet dishes
• Gulab jamun
• Chocolate burfi
• Chocolate peda
• Mawa modak
• Gujiya
• Coconut ladoo with khoya
• Gajar ka halwa
• Chocolate pista roll
• Kulfi recipe

Basundi Recipe

Basundi is a rich, creamy Indian dessert that’s made with milk and flavored with spices and dry fruits. My easy basundi recipe is ready in under 30 minutes thanks to a secret ingredient. I use sweetened condensed milk to prepare this wonderfully indulgent dish in a jiffy! Here you’ll find step-by-step instructions and photos to make the best (and fastest) basundi from scratch.

About Basundi-

Basundi is a popular dessert most commonly made in Western India, in such states as Maharashtra and Gujarat. It’s a bit similar to Rabdi, which is often served in North India.

Both are creamy milk-based dishes that feature fragrant spices and can be served warm or cold. However, while rabri has a thick and pudding-like consistency, basundi is much thinner and has a smoother flow.

Traditional basundi recipe requires you to simmer whole milk on a low heat for several hours. This recipe of mine is an easy basundi recipe and it can be prepared in only about 20 to 25 minutes. My secret is to add sweetened condensed milk to speed up the thickening process while still achieving just the right creaminess and rich flavor.

This recipe is enough to serve 4 people (and can be easily scaled up), so it’s perfect to serve for dessert at special occasions and gatherings. Plus it can be enjoyed any number of ways – hot, warm, or chilled!

In this updated version of the post, I have halved the ingredients of my original recipe that would make for about 8 servings.

If you plan to make basundi for parties or pot lucks or for festivals like Diwali, then easily scale it up depending upon the number of servings you want to make.

How to make Basundi Recipe-

1. Firstly, take ½ a can of condensed milk (200 grams) or ½ cup + 2 tablespoons in a heavy skillet or thick bottomed saucepan or kadai (wok).

2. Add 2 cups of whole milk. Do not use low-fat or skimmed milk.

NOTE: How much milk is needed depends on how much sugar is in the sweetened condensed milk you use. Start with 2 cups of milk, and add more as needed after the sweetened condensed milk has been added.

3. With a whisk mix well enough to combine the thick condensed milk with whole milk to get an even liquid.

The mixture should be even or else the condensed milk at the bottom can burn while cooking. So make sure there is no condensed milk at the bottom of the pan. All the condensed milk should be mixed with the milk. 

4. Switch on the heat and keep it to a low.

5. Place pan on the stove-top and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir after intervals of 3 to 4 minutes on low heat.

Continue to stir often as you bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Be careful to not let the milk brown on the bottom of the pot.

As it cooks, use a rubber spatula or wooden spatula to scrape the sides of the pan and stir the milk solids back into the basundi mixture.

5. Place pan on the stove-top and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir after intervals of 3 to 4 minutes on low heat.

Continue to stir often as you bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Be careful to not let the milk brown on the bottom of the pot.

As it cooks, use a rubber spatula or wooden spatula to scrape the sides of the pan and stir the milk solids back into the basundi mixture.

7. The basundi mixture will begin to thicken as you continue to cook it. After it simmers for 20 to 25 minutes the basundi should be slightly thick but smooth and creamy.

8. Add the slivered nuts.

9. Grate nutmeg to get a pinch of it or add a generous pinch of ground nutmeg powder.

10. Add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (4 green cardamom pods, powdered in a mortar-pestle) and 10 to 12 strands of saffron. Also add 2 tablespoons of chironji (charoli seeds).

Make sure that the chironji are fresh and not rancid or tasting bitter. As they get rancid very quickly.

Chironji is also known as charoli and these small brown seeds give a lovely crunch and a nuttiness to this creamy dessert.

11. Stir to mix and simmer it for another minute.

12. Transfer basundi to serving bowl/bowls. Serve this creamy dessert hot, warm or chilled garnished with some almond and pistachio slivers. If you plan to serve basundi cold, then cover the bowl or bowls and refrigerate for a few hours until the basundi becomes cold.

Store leftovers in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in a covered container or bowl. Enjoy basundi as it or with Puri (Indian fry bread).