Kalakand is a traditional dessert of India. Made with whole milk and sugar. It is soft and grainy in texture. Kalakand is usually prepared during festivals like Holi, Diwali, Navratri and Eid.

Ingredients:

1. Milk                              2 liters
2. lemon juice                 1 table spoon
3. Sugar                            1/2 cup
4. Almonds                       5-6
5. Pista                            5-6
6. Ghee                            1 tsp

Procedure for preparing Kalakand:

For Chena:

1. In a pan/vessel boil 1-liter milk and when it just reaches boiling point add lemon juice and keep stirring until it curdles completely.
2. Bring down the vessel from stove.
3. Add ice cubes to the curdled milk and rest for 5 minutes. (adding ice cubes will help the curdled milk solid not to become hard).
4. Take a colander and line it with muslin cloth, using that separate the whey and milk solids. Now run it through the cold tap water. So it stops the cooking process. Also it removes the citrus taste from it.
5. Wrap the cloth and press it or squeeze it till no more water is dripping.
6. And when you unwrap the cloth you will have a lumpy mass of soft Chena into a plate.

For Kalakand:

1. Boil remaining 1 liter milk in a heavy bottom frying pan on medium high heat until the milk reduces to half its quantity.
2. Stir the milk occasionally as the milk burns easily in bottom of the pan.
3. Add the Chena to the milk and keep stirring till the mixture thickness and form a soft dough consistency.
4. Add the sugar and continue to cook and stirring until the mixture become soft lump and start leaving the pan from sides.
5. Grease a plate with ghee.
6. Pour  the mixture over greased plate.
7. Allow it to cool and cut the kalakand in squares. Garnish with chopped almonds and pistas.
8. Then refrigerate it for one hour.

Yummy Kalakand is ready.

Do refer my other posts:

Bengali Rasgulla

Gulab Jamun recipe

Sheer Khurma