Palkova / Thirattipal (Homemade - from the scratch recipe)

     Palkova/Thirattipal is my all time favourite sweet. Sentimentally, wanted to make the 25th post as some sweet. At the same time I was so much craving to have palkova. I did not want to use condensed milk & wanted to make it from scratch using just milk & sugar. All it needs is a lot of patience to stir and to wait to stir and to wait..... 
     Long ago, during my school days, paati used to make this whenever she boils milk and it turns curdled. I never liked her idea of making palkova from curdled milk. But finally I give up some of my stubborness & ego & do have a few spoonfuls of it :P It tastes good too.
After some days, we somehow gave up this way of making palkova & switched over to the below proper version. 
    Patience is one of the must-have ingredient for a successful palkova without ready-made condensed milk. It took me about 1 hour to get the end product successfully. Unable to stand for such a long time, I pulled in a high-chair and settled down with a bottle of drinking water and a laddle to stir, with the camera hanging around my neck :P It was definitely a funny sight for anyone who came into the kitchen. But, such a patiently made palkova got over within 2 days !!!
    And one very important pre-condition as per me is to talk a deal with someone at home & bribe someone with additional spoons of palkova, so that they can scrub & clean the kadai for you, after palkova is made :D

Cook Time: 1 hour || Yields: 2 cups (in the cup used to measure milk) || Category: Sweets / Milk Sweets

Ingredients:
1. Milk - 8 cups (I used 2% fat milk)
2. Sugar - 1 & 3/4 cups 

Method:
1. Measure and pour the required quantity of milk in a heavy bottomed kadai / metallic pan. Keep the flame in high & let the milk boil. 

 2. Keep stirring in between to ensure the milk does not overflow from the kadai. Before it rises till the rim of the vessel, during boiling, reduce the flame and keep stirring. Add the sugar and keep stirring in medium flame. Alter the flame to medium or high as necessary & keep stirring. The colour will change from white to creamy/buttery white.

 3. Scrap the inner walls of the vessel for the deposited cream and drop that into the boiling milk. After about 35-40 mins, colour will completely change to creamy white & small bubbles will arise. 

 4. Keep stirring as the milk starts to thicken. This will happen around some 45-50 mins. If a portion of the thickened milk is moved aside with a laddle, it will take time to come back to its position & will reveal the bottom of the vessel. This is the time from which more care is needed. The thickened milk will attain a dropping consistency.

 5. At this stage, keep stirring the palkova. It will show a slightly granular consistency and move as a thick mass with browning of sides of the vessel. Switch of the flame at this point & transfer the palkova to a storage bowl.

Suggestions:

• I prefer this palkova to be plain & raw with just these 2 ingredients. If you wish, you can add condensed milk in addition to milk. 
• Adding condensed milk will reduce the process time.
• Depending on the amount of condensed milk added, remember to reduce the quantity of milk & sugar.
• This version of palkova will not be ideal for shaping them as pedas. For that using condensed milk gives a better form to handle. This version is perfect for a cup & spoon kind of serving.