🍬 Khoa

Khoa (also mawa or khoya) is whole milk cooked down until thick, the base of many South Asian sweets. India's regulator FSSAI defines khoa as a product made by partially removing water from milk by heating under controlled conditions. It may be sold as khoa, mawa or under a regional name only if it contains no added sugar or starch.

According to FAO, the milk is evaporated in an open shallow pan with constant stirring until it reaches 65–70% solids — that is, it is concentrated about fivefold. Cow's milk yields about 18% khoa, buffalo milk about 20%; buffalo milk is considered better because its khoa is whiter and softer. FAO cited an estimate of about 600 thousand tonnes a year in India alone. There are three types: firm pindi for barfi and peda, softer dhap for gulab jamun, and granular danedar for kalakand.

Khoa made from cow's milk contains about 25.6% water, 25.7% fat, 19.2% protein and 25.5% lactose; khoa from buffalo milk has 37.1% fat. It tastes nutty and sweetish from the concentrated lactose. In winter, the season of surplus milk, khoa used to be stored in the cold until summer; it turned green with mould, and this “hariyali” khoa was used for gulab jamun.

Khoa or paneer? Both are milk products used in South Asian sweets, but the process differs. Paneer is curdled with acid and the whey is drained off. Khoa is not curdled at all: whole milk is simply cooked down in an open pan until the water has evaporated, so the lactose and fat stay in. That is why it tastes nutty and sweetish and is the base of peda, barfi and gulab jamun. Khoa, mawa and khoya are one product under different names. The word “khoa” also means other things online (Vietnamese names, Thai place names), which have nothing to do with milk.

Look for the names khoa, mawa or khoya on the pack, often with “milk solids” or “milk fudge base”. The ingredient list should show only milk, because unsweetened khoa has no added sugar or starch. It is sold in blocks or crumbles and should be chilled, since it spoils quickly. You will mostly find it in South Asian grocery shops, in the chilled section, or at specialist online shops; the firm type suits barfi and peda, the soft type gulab jamun.

Why it matters to you. Under the FSSAI standard, khoa has to contain at least 55% solids and, since 2025, at least 27% fat in dry matter. Before Navratri and Diwali demand rises sharply, and in 2026 FSSAI announced a special inspection drive against the adulteration of dairy products, khoa included. It spoils quickly: unpackaged at 25 °C it lasts about three days, and in one study khoa bought at a bazaar kept for two days in the warmth and ten days at 5 °C.