Homemade Khoya (With Ricotta Cheese)

Khoya/Mawa or let us call it solidified milk is one of the main ingredients of cooking in desserts in India and Pakistan!It is made from whole milk, and in sweet shops,the milk is poured in a huge Kadai(a kind of half circle Wok) and put on extreme heat like logs or coal and stirred continuously with a big ladle.In some shops they use a long,thin but clean log or piece of Bamboo to do so!

However in other countries,it is impossible to source Mawa and if at all we get it,we need to shell out a lot from our wallet which will make us uncomfortable and we think that if the recipe fails to live up to its mark then it is a complete waste of money and live with this misery!This recipe is going to be a life saver as the Mawa is made from Ricotta Cheese – something you get very easily and the Khoya which comes out from this process is superb!It is akin to what we call Danedar Khoya which is granular,soft and perfect for desserts!There are almost 30 different kinds of Khoya!In old Lucknow there is a place called “Khoye ki Gali”which translates into The Khoya Lane.Its just one straight lane with multiple varieties of Khoya being sold in wicker baskets!Around 2 decades ago we used to get our Khoya from there for Gujiya,Gulab Jamun and Burfi!

I had wanted to make Gulab Jamuns and tried to make it from milk powder which I had posted on the blog last year!

Check out my recipe for Instant Khoya/Mawa here :

http://thefoodsamaritan.com/instant-khoyamawa/

But that method works fine in India and in other countries sometimes the ingredients are a tad bit different and you do not end up with the same result.

I tried 4 times to make khoya and was banking on this as one last try.If I did not get it correct this time I would buy the homogenised milk which had a lot of fat and cream and start from scratch to heat it,collect the skin,reduce it and solidify it for the real ultimate Khoya!I did not have to do that as the Ricotta listened to me like an obedient child,formed into the best Khoya and when I tried it for Gulab Jamuns,I got one of the best results till date!

I took this recipe from the blog “Cook with Faiza” which saved my day!Faiza has a great channel on You Tube and this recipe was a mega hit!

So lets get started on the recipe!Ricotta Cheese is a very soft and very moist cheese which is packed in plastic tubs.Here is the picture of a Ricotta tub and the texture of the cheese!

The Ricotta packed tub…

The cheese..

Preparation Time : 1 hour

Makes : 250 gms of Khoya

INGREDIENTS

1 tub (475 gms) Ricotta Cheese

3 tsp Oil

METHOD

Heat oil in a non stick pan and add the cheese.Keep the heat on low and start breaking up the cheese.

After 5 minutes,because of the heat,the cheese will “melt” or disintegrate and become like a halwa.

After 25 minutes,the Ricotta will start to cook as the moisture content will start evaporating gradually.

After 35 minutes,most of the water would have evaporated and the cheese will start to clump and come together in the pan.

In 45 minutes,the cheese will form small granules and the colour would change from pure white to a very light yellow.Here take the pan off heat.

As the pan will be hot the Ricotta will continue to cook.Stir the now dry cheese for 5 minutes more and take it out on a metal or ceramic plate to cool.

Cool it for 3 – 4 hours and refrigerate it in an airtight container.Use within 15 days.

Texture of the khoya….