Indian Milk cake or Alwar ka Mawa
Indian milk cake or Alwar ka mawa is known for its characteristic grainy texture and mouthfeel. It is thickened milk, which is coagulated halfway, and then sweetened. It is further condensed until it loses all the moisture and the fat, and protein granules are left.
Ingredients
- 1.5 liters whole milk (6 cups (homogenized))
- 185 g Sugar (slightly less than a cup)
- 2 teaspoon Lime juice
- 30 g Ghee (2 tablespoons)
- ½ teaspoon Corn syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Place a heavy bottom pan, preferably a kadhai ( never use iron kadhai for milk recipes)on the gas. Pour milk and bring it to a quick boil while stirring in between.
- Reduce the flame to medium-low and let the milk simmer while stirring regularly with a long flat steel ladle. Make sure that the milk does not stick to the bottom and keep scraping down the malai ( cream) sticking to sides of the pan with the flat ladle.
- Keep reducing the milk till it reduces to half the volume. It can take well more than an hour.
- In the meantime, weigh the sugar and set it aside. Also, grease a pan (mold) for cake.
- Once the milk thickens and reduces to half the volume, start adding coagulant in small batches. Add ¼ teaspoon first and mix well. Wait for 2 minutes and then add the next. Invest 12 – 15 minutes in coagulating the milk. Observe the flat surface of the ladle and see if there are any fat or protein particles on it. Stop when you see that grains are forming.
- Now, keep reducing the milk further, till it becomes thick Rabri-like consistency. Keep stirring more regularly throughout this process. ( It is very prone to sticking at the bottom and burning at this stage.)
- Eyeball the sugar into 3 equal parts and add in batches. Add the first batch and mix well. Cook for 2- 3 minutes and then add the second batch. Repeat till all the sugar is added and mixed.
- Stir continuously till it stops to bubble and starts to come together. It will become bubbling lava with the addition of sugar. So, use a ladle with a long handle.
- Now add 1 teaspoon of ghee and mix well. Followed by the second teaspoon of ghee and a mix.
- Increase the flame slightly and keep cooking while continuously stirring.
- Cook it till milk cake starts to leave sides and form into one big lump.
- You can choose to cook further for a minute or two till the golden brown color is formed. The more you cook, the sugar caramelizes and yields a browner looking milk cake. But, do not overcook at this point. It can make the milk cake hard. At this point add the corn syrup and mix.
- Immediately transfer into a greased pan. Level and make uniform from the top by pressing with a silicone ladle or something similar. Cover with lid and wrap the pan in a thick towel and set aside for 3 hours.
- Uncover and remove from the pan on to a plate. Cut into pieces and enjoy warm.
- Store in refrigerator in an airtight container and enjoy for a week.
Notes
- Always keep the flame at low if you are leaving it unattended. If the milk boils off the pan and spills, a lot of fat is lost.
- Stir continuously after the milk thickens. At this stage, it can easily stick to the bottom and get burnt. A slightest of burnt odor spoils the entire flavor of the milk cake.
- As you know that we are not using any flavorings. Slow-cooked milk has its own flavor. So choose to cook at the low flame as much as possible.
- Add coagulant in small batches and wait for at least 2 minutes before adding the second batch. Look for the level of coagulation before adding the second batch.
- After adding sugar, it starts to bubble a lot. Also, the sugar can stick to the bottom and burn. So, stirring continuously while protecting yourself is very important at this stage. That is why I suggest using a ladle with a long handle. Use some lid as a shield or use some kind of protective gloves.
Nutrition
Calories: 207kcal
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