With the approach of Diwali, various sweets are prepared in many homes, either made by themselves or purchased from stores. Hoia is a key ingredient for making delicious desserts such as laddu, gulab jamun, peda, and barfi.
However, during the festive season, there is a high risk of impurities in commercially sold hoia, which not only degrades the taste of the sweets but can also be harmful to health. If you want your sweets this time to be one hundred percent pure, tasty, and healthy, it is best to prepare pure hoia yourself instead of buying expensive and suspicious mawa from the store.
Making hoia by evaporating milk in a pot is very simple. Below is a simple instruction and secret tips for preparing perfect, granular, and pure hoia.
For preparation, you will need: 2 liters of whole-fat milk (preferably using thick buffalo milk), a heavy pot, and a wide spoon.
Pot Selection: Always use a wide pot with a thick bottom made of cast iron, aluminum, or steel when making hoia. A thick bottom prevents the milk from burning to the bottom, and wide cookware promotes rapid steam formation.
Tip to prevent milk from sticking: Before pouring the milk into the pot, lightly spray it with 1-2 teaspoons of water. This will help the milk not to stick to the bottom.
For white hoia: The milk must be cooked over medium or high heat, stirring constantly. Prolonged cooking over low heat may cause the color of the hoia to turn yellow or brown.
Bring the milk to a boil: In a thick-bottomed pot, after spraying with water, pour in 2 liters of whole milk. Set the heat to high and bring the milk to a boil.
Stir constantly: As soon as the milk boils, reduce the heat to medium or high. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pot with the spoon so that the milk does not burn. You must also scrape off the cream that collects around the edges of the pot and mix it back into the milk.
Let it thicken: After continuous cooking for about 20-25 minutes, the milk will reduce in volume by half and begin to thicken. At this stage, the heat should be reduced to medium.
Transition stage from khoya to mawa: When the milk becomes thick and takes on the consistency of cottage cheese (rabdi), do not stop. Continue to stir intensely and continuously. Soon the milk will completely separate its liquid and start to pull away from the sides of the pot.
Hoia is ready: When the mass begins to form a single lump and stops sticking to the sides of the pot, turn off the gas.
Cooling: Do not leave the hoia in the pot; immediately transfer it to a plate or bowl to let it cool. After cooling, it will become soft and granular.