I grew up in a dessert loving family. A visit to the local sweetmeat shop was a ritual during our weekly outings, and boxes of various kind of sweets were always there inside the fridge. After I got married, I was traveling a lot with my husband because of work and missed my share of mithai after the meals. This encouraged me to make my sweets at home and the easiest and most delicious one is Kalakand. Kalakand is a scrumptious, rich sweet dish that is a staple in most Indian homes, particularly in the North. The texture and taste of Kalakand is very similar to the one you get in the mithai shops and is very easy to make as well. You just need a little patience as the milk takes a lot of time to thicken. But the end result is worth the efforts.
As I love Kalakand a lot, I had even tried making its different flavours. And guess what, they turned out really well. Custard Apple Kalakand, till date, remains one of my favourite variations of Kalakand. Kalakand can be made in advance if you are expecting guests for dinner and if guests are not coming, you can obviously treat yourself with this milky delight, right? To enjoy other milk based Indian desserts, try the Paneer Ki Kheer, Kesar Badam Milk or my very own take on Motichoor Rabri Parfait. For today, here’s the recipe for preparing Kalakand:
Here is a video Recipe to make Kalakand
Kalakand
- Milk - 2 liter
- Lemon juice - 2 tsp
- Sugar - ½ cup ( powdered )
- Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
- Ghee - ½ tsp
- Pistachios - 8-10 ( slivered )
- Silver foil ( optional )
- Divide the milk equally in two pan.
- Heat one pan till the milk is reduced to half.
- Bring the milk in the other pan to a boil.
- When the milk comes to a boil, simmer the heat.
- Add lemon juice to the milk.
- The milk will curdle.
- Switch off the gas and drain the milk in a cotton cloth.
- Bring the sides of the cloth together and drain all the whey from the chenna.
- Run the cloth under fresh water to remove any trace of lemon from it.
- Add this paneer in the other pan when the milk has reduced to half.
- Cook till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.
- Add sugar and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add cardamom powder.
- Grease a plate with ghee.
- Pour the mixture in the greased plate and spread evenly.
- Garnish with pistachio slivers and silver foil.
- Let the kalakand set.
- When set, cut into small pieces.
- It can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days in refrigerator.
Neha's love for recipes is evident from this site. She is a food stylist, consultant and photographer. Connect with Neha to learn more. 
Lovely lovely :)I would more appreciate if I can get a piece or two 🙂
Awesome.. They look delectable
Kalakand looks very delicious and inviting. Beautiful click.
texture is absolutely perfect dear…ah cant stop for one seeing yours
very beautiful and the recipe seems doable. Thanks Neha.
looks great..but have u added saffron..for the yellow color..
Actually we get Cow’s milk in Bangalore which have a yellow tinch. I have not added Saffron.
Thanks Neha for the wonderful recipe! tried it and loved it! 🙂