Creamy Kalakand

Indian ‘mithais’ are delicious and rich in taste ! It is more economical and healthy to make them at home. Verka products stand for purity, so they are my obvious choice ! I often use Verka Full-Fat-Milk to make ‘kalakand’. It is a popular, milk and paneer based ‘mithai’. It is soft, sweet and grainy in texture and very easy to prepare !

Kalakand

2½ litres Verka Full-Fat-Milk
½-¾ cup sugar, powdered
1½ tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp rose water
½ cup nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews)

Method

Chop the nuts and keep aside.
Divide the Verka Milk into two parts. Put one in a ‘kadhai’ and set it on heat. Boil, then reduce heat and continue to simmer.
Keep stirring constantly till the milk level is half of the original amount.(This is called ‘reduction’)
Boil the second batch of milk, add lemon juice to curdle the milk, then drain away the liquid whey.
Roughly crumble the paneer and scatter over the thickened milk. Stir in rose water, make an even mixture and keep cooking till you have a firm,’rabdi’ like paste.
Cool till it is just warm, Add half cup of sugar and mix.
Taste to check if it is sweet enough, or else add more sugar.
Lightly grease a tray with a few drops of oil. Pour the mixture on to it.
Spread the mixture evenly to the thickness of ‘burfi’,scatter nuts over the surface and press them in gently.
Cut into diamond shapes, chill and serve !

Note: Milk can burn easily when it is cooked, so always use a thick, heavy bottomed vessel. You can also curdle the milk with vinegar if you don’t have lemons in your fridge. Do not add sugar to the ‘kadhai’ while the mixture is hot. The sugar will melt and you will have a wettish mess. Cardamon (Elaichi) powder adds a lovely fragrance to kalakand. If you like, add a few threads of ‘kesar’ to the milk while cooking. This will be a royal touch to the sweet ! Instead of making fresh paneer, you can also use ready Verka Paneer for this dish.