Kalakand is a milk based Indian Sweet. A sweet treat that goes with any occasion. A festival, a party or for a Potluck. No occasion, don't worry😀. You can just have it to satisfy your sweet cravings.Even better these milk cakes can be made just under 15 minutes.So some unexpected guests coming over or prepping last minute festive treats, this is a perfect recipe to try.
It's been a week I devoured on n finished these sweet treats off but writing this recipe down still makes my mouth watering. I want to make em again once I have the ingredients ready.
The Kalakand was so delicate, perfectly sweet and was melting in mouth. I did not see any difference from store bought sweet in fact it's even better. I always pick these kind of simple recipes for potluck parties. My other Potluck favorites are Veggi Puffs/Curry Puffs, Microwave Dudh Peda, Mango Mousse. Check these Recipes out for your next Party.
The first time I made this sweet was from the scratch. I remember stirring milk for I don’t remember how long.But it was so tasty.But I lost the interest to make it again since it is so time consuming.I have similar experience making Ras Malai. Then a friend told me that Ricotta cheese can be used in the place of Paneer in Indian sweets. She makes Ras Malai using that. Voila!My first Indian recipe using Ricotta cheese was Ras Malai which turned out OK. It is less time consuming than making fresh paneer to prepare the Malai Pieces. Then I tried this Kalakand recipe which turned out delicious.
While I was microwaving, every 2 minutes when I stir the mixture I couldn’t resist eating it :-). It was so delicious no matter what the consistency is.After 6 minutes or so when it has semi solid appearance it reminded me the fresh loose Kalakand (thats how they used to call it back home) we used to get back home from the sweet shop. I tasted it and continued microwaving till I got the perfect end result.
To make Kalakand another quick ingredient,Instead of thickening milk for hrs and hours is condensed milk. Also called Milk Maid in India. Together Ricotta cheese and condensed milk cuts down the timesubstantially . Few tweaks to the recipe which I haven't tried would be using fresh Paneer or Chenna in the place of Ricotta Cheese and adding cardmom powder optionally.
Anyway together these two ingredients created a wonder, a delicious sweet treat, my all time favorite and a crowd pleaser 'Kalakand'.
Servings:
About Fifteen (15)
Total time:
15 minutes
Category:
Desserts
Author:
Praveena Gudipati
Ingredients: (I use US standard measuring; 1cup=8oz=240ml)
15 OZ Ricotta cheese Original
14 OZ condensed milk
3-4 Tbsp Ghee
2 tbsp brown Sugar optionally
1/2 cup Milk Powder
3 tbsp Finely Chopped Pistachios
3 Cardmons powdered (Optionally)
Kalakandstep-by-step Recipe with Photos
- Mix all ingredients in a wide microwave safe bowl except Pistachios. Sugar is optional and depends on howmuch sweet you like.I skipped sugar totally and it was perfect for me. Taste the mixture after all of the ingredients (except sugar) are added and mixed. Then you can add sugar as per your liking.
- Use a big bowl as the mixture boils and may spill.You can also cook it on stove top. Use heavy bottom pan to cook the mixture.
- Stir the mixture well. I love to use my silicone spatula to do this job as mixture won't stick to it much, like a steel spoon. You can find similar spatula on Amazon.I use it for transferring cake batters or to handle any sticky gooey mess.
- Microwave for a total of 10-11 minutes. The mixture needs to be stirred in regular intervals. I stopped microwave every 2 minutes and stir the mixture.
- After 11 minutes you will see the mixture came together and also turned slightly darker.if you remove at this point which I did you will get softer pieces of Kalakand which would hold shape but melt in mouth consistency. I like em this way.If you like little darker, lil more harder, cook for couple more minutes.The colors in the photos aren'taccurate as photos were taken in low light. The final product will be slightly darker in color.
- Rub a wide Plate with Ghee and keep it ready.
- Now Pour the mixture in the plate and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top of the Kalakand mixture. Press lightly so the nuts stay put.
- Let the Mixture cool down.
- Cut mixture into desired size and shape.
- Kalakand is ready.
Tips:
- Microwave timing may vary from one to another.So check the color to turn slight dark.
Related Recipes:
- Mango Mousse
- Microwave Doodh Peda
- Vegetable Puffs/Curry Puffs
- Quick Rice Kheer
- Rava Kesari (seera)
- Sunnundalu (Blackgram Ladoo)
- Dates and Nuts ladoo , No sugar
