What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say the words "Condensed Milk"? Well, I don't know about you but I surely think of something that's rich, creamy and sweet that goes really well in Iced chai, coffee or fudges! My Favourite way to have condensed milk is surely over some toasted bread, sprinkled with Milo and drizzled with condensed milk. My first experience of it was in Singapore in a cafe called "Toast Box". They had these thick slices of soft pillowy bread, sigh... I really can't get over it!
Come to think of it, Indian cakes and desserts surely use a lot of condensed milk as a replacement for eggs and other things. A lot of recipes call for condensed milk and sometimes it's just not available in certain places. Well, you're in luck because I'm going to show you how to make condensed milk at home...
We'll start with 2 cups of milk in a heavy bottom pot. Try using full-fat milk for a super creamy outcome. Add 2/3rd cups of sugar to it. You can use regular granulated sugar for this recipe.
Now make sure that your sugar melts before the milk starts boiling to avoid crystallization. Have the flame on low and keep a close eye on the pot, stirring every once in a while. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. After a while, you'll notice some scum forming at the top of your mixture, use a wet spoon to scoop it out. This will again ensure that your condensed milk will stay nice and smooth.
After another 10 minutes, you'll notice that the milk has reduced to less than half it's volume and the color has become a little pale. This is because the sugar in your mixture is cooking along with the milk and has started to caramelize. that's exactly how you get an amazing taste out of it.
At this stage, the milk will look quite thin compared to your store-bought condensed milk, but don't worry. It will become thicker as it cools.
If you keep cooking this mixture for longer, you can also make dulce de leche out of it, but that recipe stands for another time. Incase your condensed milk is a little grainy, don't worry, just run it through a blender and strain it out once cool. You'll have a great result.
So try out this recipe and let me know about your experience in the comments. Have a look at the video for detailed instructions.
See you next time!