Selva's Kitchen : Paalkova (Traditional & Modern Method)

Paalkova is a sweet made from milk and sugar.In Tamil Nadu,Srivilliputhur is a famous town for Paalkova and it tastes heavenly.People there using cashew shell for heating process,that is the main and special reason for the perfect and yummy taste.Traditional Paalkova tastes well and time consuming process but worth the effort.But Modern method using sweetened condensed milk takes lesser time but tastes same.You pick the method as per your convinience.

In my college days,i stayed in hostel.One of my friends, who is from Srivilliputhur brought huge Paalkova parcels for us.We enjoyed with that and order for more parcels.And two weeks back, My Man was out of town for a week.So i planned to prepare this yummy sweet to surprise him and make his arrival more special.He tasted and said,”Sema”.Am flying on the sky asusual.

Traditional method is time consuming so i preferred to do that using condensed milk that day.Am very confused to buy sweetened condensed milk because some people told evaporated

milk is same.And finally i googled and got an clear idea.Both are similar canned milk products with no water.Dont substitute one for the other.

Sweetened Condensed Milk : It is a mixture of whole milk and about 45% of sugar,

which is heated until about 60% of the water evaporates.(Used in baked goods

and desserts such as candies,puddings,and pies,as well as a substitute for

cream and sugar in coffee drinks)

Evaporated Milk : It is homogenized milk with 60% of its water removed and vitamin D

added for nutritional purposes.It is unsweetened and is available in whole,low-fat, and fat-free

versions(Used in custards,dishes which creamy texture is desired)

Paalkova Recipe:

a)Traditional Method (Using Milk)

By Stove-Top (Cooking Time : 1hr)

b)Modern Method (Using Sweetened Condensed Milk)

By Stove-Top (Cooking Time : 20mins)

Microwave Oven (Cooking Time : 10mins)

a)Traditional Method : Using Fresh Milk (Yields ¾ Cup Paalkova)

Ingredients :

Milk (Whole or Full Fat Milk)	1 litre
Sugar	¼ Cup
Ghee	2 tsp
Cardamom powder	¼ tsp

1.In a heavy-bottomed pan,boil milk with medium flame.After it boils,keep the flame very low and cook slowly with continuous stir.

2.Keep on stirring every minute to avoid milk getting burnt.

3.After 35-40 mins of slow cooking process,milk reduced to half of the quantity with thick consistency and turns yellowish colour.

4.Now add sugar,cardamom powder and mix well.Milk mixture became little watery after adding sugar.

5.Cook for 7-10mins it thickens and start leaving the sides of the pan.

6.Add ghee,stir and switch off the flame.Transfer it to the ghee greased plate.

7.After it cools,it thickens further.

8.Garnish with nuts.

Notes :

1.Full Fat Milk is preferrable as it takes less time to cook.

2.After it cools,it thickens further.

b)Modern Method : Using Sweetened Condensed Milk

Ingredients :

Sweetened Condensed Milk	1Tin (400gms)
Milk / Evaporated Milk	100ml / 200gms
Curd or yogurt / lemon juice	4tbsp / 2tsp
Ghee	2tbsp / 1tsp
Crushed / powdered Nuts	3tbsp

(i)By Stove-Top Method: (Yields 1 ½ Cup Paalkova)

1.Heat a heavy-bottomed pan by low-medium flame.Add sweetened condensed milk and Milk / Evaporated milk. Blend well by stirring continously to avoid getting burnt.

2.After it starts to boil,wait for 2mins and add yogurt.It curdles.Stir it.

3.Cook for 3-4mins till It thickens.

4.Now mixture start leaving the sides of the pan.Add 2 tbsp of Ghee and mix well.Switch Off the flame.Transfer it to the ghee greased plate.

Yummy Paalkova is ready ...... !

Garnish with sliced or powdered nuts,saffron strands.

Notes :

1.Paalkova using sweetened condensed milk becomes more sweeter and tastier.So you can add milk / evaporated milk with condensed milk to neutralize(and lesser) the sweet taste.

2.Cook in low flame to get perfect taste.

3.After it cools,it thickens further.