PALKOVA

     Palkova is a traditional South Indian Milk-based Sweet made from just two ingredients MILK & SUGAR.  It is traditionally prepared by reducing the Milk until all the liquid is evaporated and only the Milk Solids are left and then sweetened with Sugar.  When you leave it unsweetened you get Khova/Mava which can be used as a base for several milk sweets. When we talk about Palkova, the temple town of Srivilliputhur is sure to come to our minds.  Srivilliputhur is renowned for its Palkova and it is said that the milk from the Cows of this region is the secret behind the creamy & tasty Srivilliputhur Palkovas.
     Though Palkova recipe hails from North India, Srivilliputhur has made this Sweet an authentic South Indian Sweet.  When I say Palkova I am always reminded of Aavin's Palkova.  A train trip from Chennai is always incomplete without Aavin's Palkova. It had always been a ritual to buy Aavin's Palkova at Erode Railway Station. And they also had a counter near Gandhipuram Bus stand. Palkova in any form had been my favourite since childhood.  Small packets of Palkovas wrapped in butter papers, even my Son used to buy those small Palkova packets from a shop nearby to his School while we were in India.
     But I had never thought until recently that making Palkova would be an easy task. It had been a norm according to me that "Tough looking recipes seems to be always the easiest ones".  When I had some extra Milk at home, I thought why not give a try and ended up with a flawless, foolproof Palkova.  From then on, no looking back, my husband loved it and it has become his favourite lately. I have been making it back to back that I have made it 6 times within these two months time.  And the recent lockdown due to Covid 19 is making all of us eat, eat & eat.  Whenever a batch of Palkova got over, my husband would playfully remind me saying - "it is getting over, but no issues you don't have to wait until tomorrow, you can make it right away."
    Though there are quite a number of versions and methods of preparing Palkovas, this recipe is prepared traditionally by slow cooking in a heavy-bottomed pan. Quite a simple recipe with just two ingredients Milk & Sugar. 

Just follow these simple tricks to get perfect Palkovas:

• Preferably, use full cream milk.
• Use a heavy-bottomed pan or a non-stick pan.
• Slow-cook the Milk on a medium-low flame.
• Stir the milk frequently.
• Do not leave it unattended.

HOW TO COOK PALKOVA - TRADITIONAL METHOD OF MAKING PALKOVA FROM MILK

PALKOVA

INGREDIENTS:

Milk - 5 Cups
Sugar - 1/4 Cup

Optional Ingredients:

Cardamom - 2 Pods.
Saffron - few Strands.

METHOD:

• Pour the Milk into a heavy-bottomed pan or a non-stick pan.
• Bring the Milk to boil.
• Reduce the flame to medium-low and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the Milk thickens.
• Stir it frequently to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom.
• Continue to process.
• Scrape the milk which sticks to the sides of the Pan and add it into the milk.
• After about 20 Minutes, the Milk would turn Creamy.
• Reduce the flame to low and continue to cook, stirring it frequently.
• After about 40 -45 Minutes, all the liquid would have evaporated and Milk would have turned into a solid form.
• Now add 1/4 Cup of Sugar and mix it thoroughly.
• Stir the ingredients until the Sugar dissolves.
• Can add finely ground Cardamom Powder or Saffron Strands at this stage.
• Continue to cook on a very low flame until the mixture separates from the pan.
• Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool down.
• Serve Palkovas hot or at room temperature or chilled.
• Can roll it out into Milk Pedas if preferred.
• Stays good for about 1 week when refrigerated.

PALKOVA

NOTES:

• Use a heavy-bottomed pan or a non-stick pan to cook Palkovas.
• This will help Milk from scorching at the bottom or burning it which would totally alter the taste of Palkovas.
• Stir the ingredients frequently while cooking the Milk.
• Scrape down the milk solids which stick to the sides of the pan and add it into the milk.
• I have used just 1/4 Cup of Sugar in this recipe, can add more or less Sugar to suit your preference.
• Adding Cardamoms or Saffron to Palkovas is purely optional.
• Cooking time totally depends upon the type of stove you are using.
• Once cooled, store it in an airtight container.
• Stays good for a week when refrigerated.
• The texture of the Palkovas remains the same even when refrigerated.
• So there's no need to thaw it or bring to room temperature before serving it.