Palkova or Palgova however called Thiratipal or milk peda. Palkova is a traditional Palgova enriched with the richness of pure milk and is usually served in a thick manner. Sugar is the only sweet ingredient added to it. This delicious traditional South Indian sweet is quite easy to prepare and moreover, the recipe requires just a few ingredients. The city Srivilliputhur is famous for two things – Palkova and Andal Temple – it’s the birthplace of Hindu God’s Andal and Periazhwar.
1 History of Palkova
1.1 Famous Place of Palkova
1.2 Heritage of Palkova
1.3 How to Prepare Palkova
1.4 Ingredients Required for Palkova
1.5 Procedure to Prepare Palkova
Srivilliputhur – A famous city in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is the place where Palkova originated. This is because Srivilliputhur is famous for the milk society – that has been producing large quantities of milk production. The Srivilliputhur Milk Cooperative Society Ltd. and other local dealers started the production of this dessert due to a flood of high-quality milk from 1977 right after the white revolution. This has made Srivilliputhur the main productivity base for Palkova in Tamilnadu.
Srivilliputhur is the only place in Tamilnadu which is recognized for producing quality, high-standard Palkova by the Tamilnadu government. Still today you can see thousands of men engaged in the Palgova business in Srivilliputhur.
The family roots of people who originally produced Palgova are said to be associated with the Tirunelveli halwa family. The prominence of the Palgova propagated as hundreds of devotees visit the birthplace of Andal, the woman saint who took home the dessert. The ancient temple in Srivilliputhur is dedicated to this Goddess who grew devoted to Lord Vishnu and eventually married him.
Palgova is prepared with condensed milk or with the milk powder, but the tradition was to prepare the dish with palm sugar (Panai vellam) and fresh milk- this combination is not just healthy but would also result in a much richer taste in comparison with the former ones. The uniqueness of the dessert is that it can be stored for about 2 weeks without spoiling, unlike butter and buttermilk that spoils in a matter of 2-3 days.
PalKova is a subtle dessert neither too sweet nor heavy on your tummy. It is quite easy to prepare this Indian sweet; approximately it takes just 5 mins to prepare the dish through the cooking time would take up to an hour. So this is one of the quick and easy to make sweet. But many of the ladies complain that either they end making the dessert a messy one or over thicken. Though there are various versions of this dessert, today we will learn the traditional way to prepare Palgova.
Sugar -1/4 cup
Cardamom powder -1/4 tsp
Milk – 4 cups
Ghee -2 teaspoon
First take a heavy-bottomed vessel, next add two teaspoons of melted ghee. After a minute add four cups of milk to the vessel.
Tip: Make sure you use fresh milk and I highly recommend you use full-fat milk as it will take less time to condense.
Boil the milk in medium-low flame and keep stirring the milk constantly from time to time. As the milk starts to thicken make sure to gradually slow down the flame, while continuously stirring.
As the milk condenses, you will get to see that milk sticks onto the sides of the vessel, so gently scrape them with a ladle.
Note: Ensure that you constantly stir the mixture from time to time, as there are high chances of the milk getting burnt.
Never hurry to end the recipe, as the condensation process might take a long time. Once the mixture thickens, add cardamom powder and sugar. You will see that the dessert might become slightly water now due to the addition of sugar, but don’t worry continuously stir to thicken it back. Now it’s time to turn off the flame. The dessert will thicken further as it cools down.
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