JOIN USSweeten the winter platter with dollops of khoya
Isn’t it interesting that a mere mention of some recipes or food items conjure up memories in one’s mind.
The tangy aroma of freshly cooked idli-sambar seamlessly takes you to the kiosks outside Jantar Mantar and the taste of piping-hot stuffed paranthas transports you to Murthal’s dhabas. In the same way, a few food preparations are specific to a season. For instance, Til Bhugga, a north Indian dessert heralds the preparation for the festival of Lohri and the season thereafter. As the open skillets in sweet shops endlessly dole out mava (khoya), the key ingredient used in Til Bhugga, the atmosphere around is redolent with its tantalising aroma. Memories of the sweet scent of mava (khoya) that wafts around the confectionary outlet nudges Metrolife to delve deeper into what makes khoya ‘special’ and why it finds a significant place on our winter platters.
If high calorific values send your mind into an instant alarm-mode, then there are chances that you would want to stay clear of this ingredient as it is prepared by reducing milk into a dense form in an open skillet. But for the ones who crave for the gooey, sweetened and grainy morsels that melt into the mouth, here are some recipes to choose from.
“Desserts like gajar ka halwa, shahi tukda, gulab jamun are few desserts in which khoya is the king. Without this ingredient all these recipes are incomplete in fulfilling their taste value,” says Chef Vishal Saxena, Cuisine Trainer at Rang De Basanti Dhaba. But is Khoya only limited to desserts? No, says the chef, elaborating, “Dishes like Methi Matar Malai Corn, Mirch Malai Seekh are few innovations that I have tried out with khoya.” Perhaps, the savouries work as well as the desserts with this milky ingredient.
Revealing his secret recipe for khoya-based cupcakes, he says, “In western format of cooking cupcakes are generally made up of refined flour and eggs. But to give cupcakes a desi twist, I added Khoya to nutmeg, vanilla essence, melted butter, condense milk.”
Voila! Another interesting khoya-based recipe for you to try. Head out to your kitchen!