Khoya — Milk Solids Reduction Technique (खोया / मावा)

Pan-Indian dairy tradition; khoya-making is documented in ancient Ayurvedic texts and is central to North Indian, Parsi, and Rajasthani sweet traditions

Khoya (खोया, also called mawa, मावा) is the foundation of the majority of North Indian and Parsi sweets: full-fat whole milk reduced over 3–4 hours of constant stirring to a dense, fudge-like solid from which barfi, gulab jamun, kalakand, pedha, and dozens of other mithai are made. The transformation is entirely physical and chemical — water evaporates, protein (casein) concentrates, fat disperses, and the milk sugars (lactose) caramelise slightly in a Maillard reaction that distinguishes fresh khoya from its commercial equivalent. Three grades are used depending on the application: batti (hardest, for grinding into barfi), daanadar (granular, for pedha), and hariyali (softest, for gulab jamun).

• Colombian arequipe (dulce de leche — milk reduction to a caramel paste) uses the same principle of extended milk reduction; Turkish kaymak (clotted cream reduction) is structurally similar

Khoya itself is not eaten directly — it is a secondary ingredient in sweets. Its quality, freshness, and fat content determine the quality ceiling of every mithai made from it.