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What is Khoya in Indian cooking?

Another delectable indulgence, khoya or mawa as it’s also known, is the raw material for making a range of Indian sweets – barfis, laddoos, gulab jamuns, halwa and more.  The traditional method of making khoya, is a long, slow process in which whole milk is boiled in an open iron pan over a slow flame, until its water content evaporates, leaving behind the thickened milk solids.

Khoya is made in three consistencies – hard, semi-soft and granulated – depending on the type of sweet to be prepared.

Decoding Paneer in Indian Food?

Paneer, which originated from Central Asia and Persia, consists of milk solids separated from whey, chilled and solidified for use in several dishes. It’s nutrient-rich, loaded with protein, calcium, phosphorus and alas, fat!

Paneer is a ubiquitous item on Indian restaurant menus, starring in semi-dry dishes like Mutter Paneer and Palak Paneer, as a barbecued Paneer tikka or the deep-fried snack, Paneer pakora.  Shahi tukda is quite literally, a dessert fit for kings.

What is Ghee?

Simmer a block of unsalted butter; when its water content evaporates and the milk solids settle, the light golden liquid that’s left standing is ghee or clarified butter. Ghee’s etymology is traced to the Sanskrit ghrt (loosely meaning “sprinkling”). The ancients considered ghee a sacred food. Ghee is still used in all important Hindu rites such as marriage ceremonies and funerals and in the preparation of native herbal medicines.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of ghee; modern medicine holds that ghee is an assured artery clogger. Be that as it may, ghee continues to be used in Indian cuisine, to add aroma, flavor and texture.  Several Indian sweets require generous doses of ghee – crumbly mysore pak, laddoos and halwas are a few examples of these temptations!