Palkova is a traditional milk sweet made with just 2 ingredients milk and sugar as main ingredients. Palkova recipe with step by pictures – Learn to make it the traditional way.
Palkova is made traditionally by simmering and reducing milk until its thick. It involves lot of time and effort as we need to keep stirring to avoid burning. I have shared tips and tricks to get the perfect palkova.
About palkova
Palkova is truely a milk sweet as the main ingredient here is full fat milk. Sugar, cardamom powder and ghee are added for more taste and flavour. Palkova or palgova means reduced milk so basically palkova is simmering, reducing milk until it becomes a thick solid mass. The kova we used for jamuns and other recipes is nothing but palkova without sugar.
This traditional sweet can be made for any festival but its popularly made for festivals like Gokulashtami and Navratri. But you can make it even for any special occassions in your family too.
I have tasted aavin palkova and srivilliputhur palkova both are my favorite but only till I tried this sweet at home. Palkova made at home is so good as you can control the amount of sugar used as more the sweet you add it becomes over powering that you cannot have more than a spoon at a time.
Palkova can be made in 10 mins taking the short route of using microwave oven, but I don’t have chances for that as I don’t own a microwave, also I always want to try recipes the traditional way So here is my traditional stove top method for making palkova. I agree it is sure time consuming and painstaking but worth the effort, you will agree with me only when you taste it.
You can check my therattipal recipe if you wish to make instant palkova.
Palkova Ingredients
- Milk : Use onyl full fat milk to get the best palkova taste. I used cows milk.
- Sugar : I used white sugar as in shops but you can even use cane sugar or powdered jaggery.
- Cardamom : Traditionally no flavouring is added, but for a mild flavour I have added a tiny pinch of cardamom powder
- Ghee : Add very little ghee just to reduce the stickiness. Do not add more.
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Palkova | Palkova recipe
Ingredients
- 1 litre milk 4 cups
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp ghee
Instructions
- Use a heavy bottomed vessel for making palkova so that it doesn't burn easily at the bottom. Also make sure to wet the base of the vessel before puring milk. I used heavy bottomed bronze uruli.Add milk to it.
- First give a quick mix to avoid sticking at the bottom.
- Boil milk.
- Keep stirring every now and then to avoid burning.
- You can keep the laddle like this to avoid overflowing of milk.
- Let it boil till it reduces. Stir every now and then to avoid burning at the bottom.
- Keep the flame in low medium but take care to stir often.This is after almost 1 hour.Milk is reduced to almost 1/4th and is thick.
- At this stage add sugar and cardamom powder.
- Cook for another 5-7 mins.
- Cook until thick but still slightly goey.
- Add 1 tbsp ghee.
- Give a quick mix.
- Add remaining 1 tsp ghee.
- Mix well,it will leaves the sides of the pan but still goey. Switch off at this stage, after it cools down it may get more thicker.
Video
Notes
- Use a heavy bottomed pan or nonstick pan so that it doesn't stick much.
Also stirring often is the main tip. - You can add 4 tbsp sugar if you prefer it very sweet. 4 tbsp is 1/4 cup of sugar.
- It keeps well for a week refrigerated.
- Cooking time may vary depending on the size of pan and also the water content in milk.
- Use a little wider pan so that milk gets reduced soon.
- Keep stirring and scraping the sides to scrap the milk solids.
- When you switch off it will still be goey but after cooling it will get thick.
- Make sure you cool down completely before you refrigerate it.
How to make Palkova
1.Use a heavy bottomed vessel for making palkova so that it doesn’t burn easily at the bottom. Also make sure to wet the base of the vessel before puring milk. I used heavy bottomed bronze uruli.Add milk to it.
2.First give a quick mix to avoid sticking at the bottom.
3.Boil milk.
4.Keep stirring every now and then to avoid burning.
5.You can keep the laddle like this to avoid overflowing of milk.
6.Let it boil till it reduces. Stir every now and then to avoid burning at the bottom.
7.Keep the flame in low medium but take care to stir often.This is after almost 1 hour.Milk is reduced to almost 1/4th and is thick.
8.At this stage add sugar and cardamom powder.
9.Cook for another 5-7 mins.
10.Cook until thick but still slightly goey.
11.Add 1 tbsp ghee.
12.Give a quick mix.
13.Add remaining 1 tsp ghee.
14.Mix well,it will leaves the sides of the pan but still goey. Switch off at this stage, after it cools down it may get more thicker.
Serve warm or hot!
Expert Tips
- Use a heavy bottomed pan or nonstick pan so that it doesn’t stick much.
- Also stirring often is the main tip.
- You can add 4 tbsp sugar if you prefer it very sweet. 4 tbsp is 1/4 cup of sugar.
- It keeps well for a week refrigerated.
- Cooking time may vary depending on the size of pan and also the water content in milk.
- Use a little wider pan so that milk gets reduced soon.
- Keep stirring and scraping the sides to scrap the milk solids.
- When you switch off it will still be goey but after cooling it will get thick.
- Make sure you cool down completely before you refrigerate it.
Serving & Storage
- You can serve it along with any savory snack like bajji, bonda etc.
- It keeps well in room temperature for 2 days and in fridge for about a week.
FAQs
1.What is palkova?
Palkova is a milk sweet made by simmering, thickening and reducing milk until thick then sugar,cardamom powder and ghee are added for flavoring.
2.Is Therattipal and Palkova same?
Yes they are almost the same. The texture of therattipal is grainy as we are adding curd but the texture of palkova is smooth and soft. Though the texture differs the taste of palkova and therattipal are the same.
3.Can I use cane sugar or jaggery replacing white sugar?
Yes you can add it but make sure you add it only when the milk is thick and almost solid else there are chances for milk to curdle.
4.What type of milk is best for making palkova?
Full fat milk is best for making palkova. You can either use cows milk or packet milk too.
Priyanka Sundaram
This is a nice and easy to do recipe. But try to avoid using non stick pan as much as possible in your cooking. Also use only wooden spatula if non stick pan is unavoidable.
Jayathishya.P.R Ravichandra.P
Yummmmy. ..I tried this for Gokulashtami. It came out really very well.u give a clear and easy procedure which make me to try.thanks a lot sharmi. …
nirupamasundar
Drop in a small cup while boiling milk, there will be no need to stir it often till it thickens well.
lokesh kumar
Hi Sharmi,
Is this the same paalkova used for making madurai special jigarthanda?
SHARMILEE J
Yes same method only but made on different days 🙂
Anitha Rajagopal
Loved the instructions! And so thankful for the tips! The palkova was perfect but I think I'll try 1/4 cup sugar next time! 🙂
Kiruthika Ganeshan
I am so addiected to milk sweets especially this one, that I couldn’t stop eating the remnants stuck to the paddle even before it could cool. Yummy recipe….I kept it simple with just milk and sugar. Thanks a million. Awesome work with your recipes