Kalakand (कलाकंद )

Kalakand barfi

Kalakand is a soft,moist delicious dessert very popular all over India specially during festivals and celebrations. Traditionally its made by boiling milk down to half its volume and combining it with paneer or cottage cheese, a tedious and long process. But a much simpler microwave version of the recipe takes about quarter the time and comes out as delicious. I have written down both recipes and have also tried both. The results are almost same. Try this recipe during the festive season this year and enjoy.

HAPPY DIWALI EVERYONE

The traditional method
Ingredients:
2 litres Milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup Sugar
1/3 tsp cardamoms powder
chopped nuts to decorate (pistachios, almonds)
1/2 tsp. Citric acid dissolved in 1/5 cup water

1. Bring 1 litre of milk to boil. Add the citric solution as it comes to boil stirring constantly. 
2. Switch off heat once the paneer(curdled cheese) settles down. Sieve through muslin cloth, press out excess water, keep aside on a plate. Do not knead. 
3. Put the remaining milk in a heavy pan and boil till it reduces to half its volume. You have to be careful to not let the milk boil over or burn from the bottom. So after it boils, reduce heat and stir continuously. 
4. Once the milk reduces, add paneer and boil till the mixture thickens. Stir continuously. 
5. Add sugar and continue to cook, stirring all the while till it softly thickens into a lump. Remove from heat. Stir in cardamom powder. 
6. Pour the mixture in a greased tray, sprinkle chopped nuts on top and press them down to help them stick. 
7. Cover and allow to set either in the refrigerator for an hour or on the counter-top for a few hours. Cut into small squares and serve.

Kalakand mixture ready to be set

The microwave method
Ingredients:
15 oz Ricotta Cheese
14 oz Condensed Milk
2-3 drops of Rose Essence
1/3 tsp Cardamom Powder
Chopped Pistachios and almonds

1. In a microwave safe large dish, mix the Ricotta Cheese and the Condensed Milk well. Mash down all the lumps with a help of a whisk. 
2. Cook in the microwave for 5 minutes uncovered. 
3. Take out and mix well. Make sure that you loosen the edges. 
4. Back in the microwave 3 more minutes, uncovered. Take out and mix. 
5. Microwave for another 10 minutes, uncovered taking out and stirring every 2 minutes. 
6. Once done, mix well. Stir in the powdered cardamom. 
7. Pour the mixture into a greased tray. Press down and flatten the mixture. 
8. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and press them down to help them stick. 
9. Cover and allow to set either in the refrigerator for an hour or on the counter-top for a few hours. 
10. Cut into small squares and serve.

Kalakand barfi

The third inbetween method
Ingredients:
11/2 litre milk (full fat)
1/2 tsp. Citric acid dissolved in 1/5 cup water
14 oz Condensed Milk
2-3 drops of Rose Essence
1/3 tsp Cardamom Powder
Chopped Pistachios and almonds

1. Bring 1 litre of milk to boil. Add the citric solution as it comes to boil stirring constantly. 
2. Switch off heat once the paneer(curdled cheese) settles down. Sieve through muslin cloth, press out excess water, keep aside on a plate. Do not knead. 
3. In a microwave safe large dish, mix theabove paneer and the Condensed Milk well. Mash down all the lumps with a help of a whisk. 
4. Cook in the microwave for 4 minutes uncovered. 
5. Take out and mix well. Make sure that you loosen the edges. 
6. Back in the microwave 2 more minutes, uncovered. Take out and mix. 
7. Microwave for another 2-4 minutes, uncovered taking out and stirring every 2 minutes. 
8. Once done, mix well. Stir in the powdered cardamom. 
9. Pour the mixture into a greased tray. Press down and flatten the mixture. 
10. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and press them down to help them stick. 
11. Cover and allow to set either in the refrigerator for an hour or on the counter-top for a few hours. 
12. Cut into small squares and serve.