Saturday, March 17, 2012

Kalakand... :)

I was oooohhh soooooo happy with the way this turned out & the recipe is a sure-shot one & EASY too! We like to munch on stuff that is not overly sweet...& now that we make it at home, we get to decide the sweetness of the Kalakand.. :D
You need:
milk 2 litres
citric acid crystals 1/2 tsp, dissolved in 3 tbsp of warm water
sugar 1/2 cup - i used a little lesser
sweetened condensed milk 3 tbsp - i used milkmaid **see pointers
ghee(clarified butter) 2 tsp + 1 tsp for greasing the plate
Optional, but would be a great add...
Finely chopped nuts - i used a handful each of almonds & cashew nuts pounded with a mortar & pestle
good quality silver sheets (vark) for garnishing

How to:
Boil 1 litre milk and add the citric acid solution, simmering and stirring lightly till the milk curdles(forms paneer). Sieve this and let it rest for about 15min in the sieve till all the water drains out.
Meanwhile, boil the remaining 1 litre milk in a wide-mouthed wok and stir lightly occasionally till it reduces by half. Now add the drained paneer and stir continuously till the mixture thickens. Add the finely chopped nuts and the sugar, followed by the condensed milk. Allow it to cook and reduce further ensuring you stir to avoid burning.
You will know that it is ready when the mixture comes together to form a mound. Now add 2tsp of ghee and stir well, cooking for about 2 to 5 min. Transfer this into a well greased plate and allow it to cool. Garnish with silver sheets and cut into squares of oodles of goodness!!... :)
Pointers:
>> Feel free to add more sugar in this recipe if you so desire.
>> Adding sweetened condensed milk is optional. I like adding them since they lend a cream-ish color & taste. You might as well replace the same with sugar.
>> You could use 2tsp vinegar or juice of half a lime if you don't have citric acid crystals.
Source: Adapted from my stack of newspaper-cut-recipes Deccan Chronicle.

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