Kalakand is a popular Indian sweet made out of solidified, sweetened milk and cottage cheese. It is a rich sweet made with Concentrated milk called Khoya and fresh paneer called Chhena. They are mixed and simmered together with sugar to a luxurious thick, firmness. The mixture is cooled, then cut to squares and garnished with pistachios. Some people make it using Ricotta cheese. My version of making Kalakand is quite simple. I used Paneer instead of chhena. No ghee (clarified butter) is used in this recipe. I made it for the first time few weeks ago as a dessert for a dinner party. Everyone loved it. For me, it was a very quick and easy dessert as it was ready in 5 minutes. There you have it Kalakand recipe with paneer.
Right now, I am in India. My mom likes those sweet that are made with chhena. So, I made it for her and she loved it too. So, it was a big compliment for me coming for my mom.
KALAKAND (adapted from rakskitchen)
You will need:
- Paneer – 2 cups (grated)
- Condensed milk (Milkmaid) – 1/2 tin (200 ml)
- Sugar (optional) – 2 tablespoons
- Milk powder (Dairy whitener) – 1 tablespoon
- Cardamom powder – 2 pinches
- Pistachios – for decoration
Steps for making this rich sweet:
- If your paneer is fresh then it can be crumbled using fingers but if you are taking it out from your fridge, then first thaw it and them use your blender and crumble it by pulsing it.
- Mix condensed milk, paneer, sugar, milk powder, cardamom powder in a mixing bowl.
- Mix it well and pour it to a non-stick pan. Also keep a plate, greased with ghee.
- Keep mixing in medium flame for 4 minutes or until it starts leaving the sides of the pan.
- Pour it to the greased plate and let it set until it cools down. You can cut it when it is warm, into squares/diamonds/rectangles. Decorate by pressing roasted pistachios in each square.
NOTE:
- You can also add few stands of saffron.
- Add rose water if you want but then don’t use cardamom powder.
