Kalakand is a dairy-based traditional dessert from India. It is made of thickened sweetened milk and chenna/paneer (curdled milk solids). Making it the traditional way, is a lengthy and time consuming process.
Traditional method of making Kalakand
One part whole fat milk is warmed and curdled using either lemon juice or citric acid or alum. The milk solids/chenna separates leaving whey. The whey is strained and the chenna is rinsed to remove any traces of sourness left behind.
The second part of whole fat milk is boiled and stirred continuously until it thickens and reduces to almost half the volume.
Chenna/paneer is added to the thickened milk along with sugar and cooked until it begins to leave the sides of the pan and starts forming a mass.
This is further spiced with either just green cardamom powder or for added flavour, with doodh masala. Doodh masala or masala milk powder is a blend of green cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and saffron strands.
A half inch thick layer of Kalakand is spread in a tray greased with ghee. Slivers of nuts such as pistachio/ almond are patted down on it and allowed to cool down to room temperature. Once cool, slice them. Kalakand is best enjoyed fresh. Once refrigerated, the Kalakand hardens a bit and loses its smooth texture.
Kalakand – quick & easy method
Here is a quick and easy method to make Kalakand for that instant gratification. With this easy recipe it pretty much becomes an anytime dessert. With the festival season in full swing, you can make it quickly leaving you enough time for rest of the preparations for the festival and plenty of fun-filled family time.
Instant Kalakand tastes equally delicious, so much that one can’t believe it is not made through the laborious process! The moment the husband tasted this instant kalakand, his eyes lit up and he said, “No more buying Kalakand from stores!” The same heavenly taste and melt-in-mouth smooth & grainy texture that we all have loved throughout.
To make this instantly, homemade chenna/paneer is replaced with store-bought soft & fresh paneer (you may use homemade too if you have some handy). The entire process of sweetening and thickening whole fat milk is substituted with a tin of condensed milk. Sounds quick enough doesn’t it? Let’s get to the recipe.
Sharing Instant Kalakand Recipe below. You might also like to make something interesting from the wide variety of sweets recipes I have shared earlier:
- Dairy-based:
- Bajra Kheer
- Beetroot Kheer
- Genasina Payasa: Sweet Potato Pudding/ Shakarkand Kheer
- Rice Kheer
- Basundi
- Ginna | Junnu | Kharvas | Posu | Karambu | Bari | Colostrum Milk Cake with powder
- Pumpkin Halwa / Kumbalkai Halwa
- Kashi halwa / ash gourd halwa
- Mango Sheera/ kesari
- Gulkand Shrikhand
- Kesar Pista Badam Shrikhand
- Mango shrikhand / aamrakhand
- Mango mastani
- Orange Custard
- Laddus & Barfis:
- Aralu Hittina Unde – Popped jowar flour laddu
- Putani Hittina Kardantu – Roasted chana barfi
- Lauki/Bottlegourd Barfi – Instant no-mawa recipe
- Ragi/Finger Millet Laddus
- Roasted Chana Modak– No cooking recipe
- Makhana/Foxnut Laddus
- Marie Biscuit Laddus – quick, no-cooking recipe
- Oreo laddus – Quick, no-cooking recipe
- Oats-Almonds-Chia Seeds Laddu – Quick, no-cooking recipe
- Putani hittina laddu /Roasted split gram laddu
- Baked Goodies:
- Carrot Cake – No oven recipe
- Creme Caramel – No oven recipe
- Pineapple Upside-down Cake in pressure cooker
- Lemon-blueberry cake – Convection microwave recipe
- Cold/ Frozen Treats:
- Chikoo Kulfi
- Litchi Kulfi
- Malai Kulfi
- Mango Kulfi
- Paan Kulfi
- Thandai Kulfi
- Gadbad ice cream
- Fried ice cream
- Strawberry & Cream Popsicle
- Sweet Lime-Mint Popsicles
- Chocolate Panna Cotta
- Pomegranate Panna Cotta
- Rose Panna Cotta
- Traditional Sweets:
- Poornam Boorelu – an Andhra special
- Hoornada Kadabu
Note: Pictures shown below are for half the quantity. Recipe given is for using the full tin of condensed milk. I usually make smaller quantity and prefer transferring the remaining condensed milk to an airtight glass jar and refrigerate.
Instant Kalakand Recipe
Makes 24 pieces of 1.5″ x 2″x 1/2″
Ingredients:
- Condensed milk (milkmaid) – 400 gm tin
- Paneer – 500 gm
- Green cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
- Nutmeg powder – 1/2 tsp
- Saffron strands – a generous pinch
- Milk powder – 1/4 cup
Instructions:
1) Add condensed milk to a thick-bottomed pan. I have used a non-stick one for ease.
2) Grate paneer with medium setting of grater or use a cheese grater or crumble paneer.
3) Heat the pan on medium flame and mix well.
4) You will notice the entire mix becoming a liquid. Continue stirring. You’ll notice the mixture thickening and liquid reducing.
5) Once the mix begins to leave the sides, add green cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, saffron strands and milk powder. It took me about 15 minutes to reach this stage. Depending upon the material of your kadai, its shape and size, intensity of heat from the flame; time required may vary slightly between 10-15 minutes.
6) Continue stirring until it forms a mass. Once everything begins to come together, turn off heat. Do not overcook. Retain some moisture but there should be no free-flowing liquid.
7) Transfer to a greased tray. Pat it with spatula/fingers to level. Sprinkle slivers of pistachio & almonds and gently pat down.
8) Leave it on the kitchen counter to set for about one hour. Then, slice them in.
Kalakand is best eaten fresh. It can also be served spoonful like halwa, tastes equally delicious without having to go through setting/slicing process.
If you happen to try this Instant Kalakand Recipe; leave a comment, let me know how it turned out. Use in your Instagram posts – #trpc and tag @theredplatechronicles . To see more of my work, follow me on
Have a great day!
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The Red Plate Chronicles 