Kalakand With Condensed Milk is a moist, grainy, and creamy dessert made with milk solids and condensed milk that is made on festive occasions. This dreamy Indian cheesecake that is made during festive occasions is laced with nuts and spiced with crushed cardamom seeds. The recipe below is a much quicker version made with condensed milk than the traditional time-consuming method of reducing the milk.
I love Indian desserts a lot. In fact, from my culinary experience with multi-cuisines, I believe that Indian desserts are so diverse with each state boasting several iterations and unique creations. Besides my Kesar Pista Kulfi, my cravings for Indian desserts are endless.
One of the centers of gravity in Indian cuisine is the sweet. As incredible as it sounds, I have come across over 95 major sweets that have their origins in India. No party, religious observance, ceremony, or even a casual sit-down is complete without a sweet. It is odd that regardless of regional variations and traditions, religion, language, or social status, it is considered a sign of courtesy and good manners to offer visitors and guests sweets as soon as they enter a home. But what is equally astounding is that no two sweets are alike. The majority of the recipes consist of various combinations of flours, sugars, dairy, rose essence, kewra, or other flower essences, and, of course, spices, such as cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, or saffron. These sweets are adorned with almonds, pistachios, cashews, and dried fruit, and decorated with silver or gold foil.
What is Kalakand?
One of my husband’s favorites is the modest Kalakand. Kalakand in India is a moist, grainy, and creamy dessert made with milk solids and in this case, with condensed milk. You could also call it an Indian cheesecake because it has milk and Indian cheese at its heart. The story goes that kalakand was invented in the town of Alwar, Rajasthan in 1947, by Baba Thakur Dasji, and it is a tradition that carries to this day. There is even a Kalakand market, where people from far and wide come to taste this delectable original. Kalakand is a moist, delicate sweet, unlike the burfi that is a dry, well-set fudge.
Differences between khoa and paneer:
There’s also been some confusion around khoa and paneer, most notably because they are both milk-based.
- Khoa is dried evaporated milk solids from whole milk that are most commonly used in sweet and Indian desserts.
- Paneer, on the other hand, is cottage cheese that is made by curdling milk with lemon juice or yogurt, drained and collected in a cheesecloth. Depending on how long you drain the paneer, its consistency ranges from soft to firm. Paneer is traditionally used in Indian savories and main courses.
In the spirit of exploring varieties, let me say that if you don’t have khoa, you can use Ricotta cheese to make the Kalakand With Condensed Milk. Ricotta cheese is actually a byproduct of making other cheeses. The whey leftover from making other cheese, is reheated (ricotta in Italian means recooked) and becomes thick, grainy, cream and is mildly sour.
Customize your Kalakand With Condensed Milk:
Just as there are a dazzling array of Indian sweets, you can make dazzling varieties of the kalakand. You can alter the flavor profile of kalakand by adding:
- A few drops of essence such as Kewra, rose, or orange. This takes the bouquet of what you serve up by several notches.
- Spices such as saffron, cardamom, cloves, or cinnamon
- Dried fruits such as dates raisins, figs, or cranberries (if you’re feeling particularly eclectic)
- Nuts such as walnuts or cashews. I love nuts. Adding nuts, in particular, provides a textural difference as well as a different mouthfeel.
To be honest, making the Kalakand With Condensed Milk is so much more than just a simple milk sweet. You really need to view it as a milk and sugar palette where you can exercise your creativity and turn out something completely different than what is available in the shops.
Some common questions:
1. Can I use store-bought paneer or ricotta cheese? If you are using store-bought paneer, then grate it fine. Using store-bought paneer that is dry and not so delicate can make the kalakand tough or rubbery. You could mix a couple of tablespoons of warm milk to the finely grated paneer (let it rest for 15 minutes) and use this mixture instead of the homemade paneer. Use whole or full cream ricotta, if you cannot find paneer.
2. How to make homemade paneer? Homemade paneer with a little whey is perfect for making Kalakand.
3. How to make condensed milk at home? Reduce the whole milk to almost one-third the quantity, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar by stirring continuously and turn off the heat when the milk is reduced to one-third.
How to make Kalakand With Condensed Milk:
- How to make the chenna:
- Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pot . When the milk boils and rises up, add the lemon juice to curdle it. Stir until the whey separates, and then turn off the heat. Add 2 cups of cold water to the pot.
- Strain in a cheesecloth and squeeze gently. Wash with cold water to rinse off the lemon juice.
- Tie the cheesecloth and hang it on a hook to allow it to drip the whey water for 10 minutes.
2. How to make the Kalakand With Condensed Milk:
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan, and add the condensed milk and chenna to it.
- Stir the mixture on medium heat. The mixture will become diluted and then will gradually thicken.
- Lower the heat and keep stirring for about 7 minutes.
- The mixture will become thick and begin to leave the sides of the pan. The mixture must not be too dry but slightly moist.
- Spoon out the mixture into a tray lined with wax paper. Smoothen the top and sprinkle slivered pistachios.
- Carefully, place the silver foil sheets on top and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Cut into rectangles or desired shapes using a ghee-greased knife between each fresh cut. Let the slices rest at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
1. Refrigerate the Kalakand With Condensed Milk right after spooning it into a lined tray for at least two hours.
2. Use a heavy bottomed or nonstick pan to make the sweet.
3. Do not overcook the mixture as it will become hard and possibly rubbery in texture. The whey from homemade chenna adds moisture and makes this dessert soft and creamy.
4. Grate store-bought paneer fine without any large chunks to allow it to combine well with the condensed milk.
5. Cook the mixture until it stops sticking to the sides of the pan.
How to store Kalakand With Condensed Milk:
Kalakand With Condensed Milk tastes best when consumed the same day. You could refrigerate for 3 days in an airtight box or freeze in a box with wax paper in between slices for 2-3 weeks.
Kalakand With Condensed Milk
Equipment
- nonstick pan, stovetop
Ingredients
For the chenna:
- 6 cups whole milk
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
For the Kalakand With Condensed Milk:
- 14 oz condensed milk (can)
- ¼ cup pistachio slivers
- 4 pods cardamom seeds
- 2 sheets silver foil (varq)
Instructions
How to make the chenna:
- Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pot . When the milk boils rising up, add the lemon juice to curdle it. Stir until the whey separates and then turn off the heat. Add 2 cups of cold water to the pot.
- Strain in a cheesecloth and squeeze gently. Wash with cold water to rinse off the lemon juice.
- Tie the cheesecloth and hang it to allow it to drip whey water for 10 minutes.
How to make the Kalakand With Condensed Milk:
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan, and add the condensed milk and chenna to it.
- Stir the mixture on medium heat. The mixture will become diluted and then will gradually thicken.
- Lower the heat and keep stirring for about 7 minutes.
- The mixture will become thick and begin to leave the sides of the pan. The mixture must not be too dry but slightly moist.
- Spoon out the mixture into a tray lined with wax paper. Smoothen the top and sprinkle slivered pistachios.
- Carefully, place the silver foil sheets on top and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Cut into rectangles or desired shapes using a ghee-greased knife between each fresh cut. Let the slices rest at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use only whole milk or full fat ricotta cheese.
- Silver foil is for garnishing purpose only.
- Clean the knife before slicing each time or grease it with clarified butter before slicing.
Nutrition
One of my fav desserts 🙂
sweetened condensed milk saved me so much time!
This is so tasty!