Orange and Pear Stuffed Kalakand
by Alkajena
India is a diverse nation and its diversity is reflected in its foods which every state has to offer. Every Indian state is known for its own set of traditional sweets .
But Kalakand is one such sweets which is relished by one and all. This is one of the most scrumptious sweet in North and East India where milky white Kalakand are hugely popular but in Western India, its fried version or the Ajmeri Kalakand is more in demand, where it is also known as milk cake.
The best part of Ajmeri kalakand is that it is fried with lots of fresh figs or Anjeer which imparts a grainy texture to it and enhance the flavour too.
Kalakand is an exquisite milk-based sweet preparation with concentrated milk called Khoya or Mawa and fresh paneer called Chenna which are mixed and simmered together with sugar to a luxurious thick and firm sweet which are then cooled and cut into squares and garnished with pistachios.
Orange and Pear Stuffed Kalakand recipe - How to make Orange and Pear Stuffed Kalakand
Preparation Time: Cooking Time: Total Time:
Makes 1 serving
For Kalakand
1 can ( 400 gms) condensed milk
crumbled paneer (cottage cheese) or chenna made out of 1 and half litre of full fat milk
generous pinch of cardamom (elaichi) powder
1 tbsp chopped pistachios for garnishing
1/2 to 2 tbsp. lemon juice
For Pear and Orange Stuffing
2 pear
750 ml fresh orange juice
1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
1 star anise (chakri phool)
For Pear and Orange stuffing
- For Pear and Orange stuffing
- Peel the pears and chop it into small pieces.
- In a pan cook the chopped pears along with some fresh orange juice and cinnamon and star anise .
- Cook till the mixture thickens and reduce to its 1/3 quantity. Take out the Star anise and the cinnamon from it.
- Add ½ cup of condensed milk to bind it all together. Switch off the gas and let it cool. Once cool, Grind it to a fine paste in the blender and keep it aside.
For the kalakand
- For the kalakand
- Bring 1 and half litre full fat milk to boil. Add lemon juice and gently stir the milk.Immediately you can see the entire milk begins to curdle, switch off the flame.
- At this stage if your milk doesn't curdle, pour some more lemon juice immediately to curdle the milk. Do not cook further as it may harden the paneer. Add a bowl of ice cubes immediately to stop it from further cooking.
- Pour it in a thin cheese cloth. Rinse it under running water to remove the smell of the lemon juice. Make a knot to the cheese cloth, squeeze any excess water and hang it for 30 mins to remove excess whey. We need completely drained paneer. Crumble it and keep aside.
- Grease a plate with ghee or you can use parchment paper or aluminum foil too. Keep it aside.
- Chop the pistachios and keep aside.
- Pour condensed milk to a heavy bottom pan and warm up on a low flame. Add prepared paneer to it along with the cardamom powder, stir and mix well. Cook on a low flame, stir constantly to prevent burning. After a short while, it becomes a thick mass and will begin to leave the sides of the pan. Switc
- Divide the kalakand mixture into two equal parts. Transfer one part of the kalakand to the foil or greased plate. Spread it to half inch thickness. Smooth the top evenly.
- Now spread the pear and orange pulp evenly over it. Spread the second part of kalakand mixture over it and sprinkle pistachios on top.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and then cut into squares.
- Enjoy this pear and orange stuffed Kalakand during festive occasions like diwali with your family and friends.