Orange & Pear stuffed kalakand

8:20 PM

The festival of Diwali which is also known as the festival of lights, is celebrated every year. Diwali highlights the victory of good over evil. Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in India. There are several legends behind the festival and it is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the country. As part of the celebrations, people clean and decorate their homes and offices before Diwali night and are seen dressed up in new attires. Lighting of diyas or lamps is one the major attractions of this festival during which devotees conduct Puja to honour the goddess of wealth and prosperity -- Lakshmi.

I have a huge sweet tooth and the saying having a sweet in once in a blue moon is not applicable to a person like me. I am so fond of sweets and loves making and eating it. I just look for opportunity to cook and serve the sweets. What I love about sweets is the memories associated with it …..Festivals, Guests and celebration. India is a country where you come across celebration throughout the year….Coming from a family which believes in community feeding, my mom used to make whatever she does in huge quantities and we used to distribute it within our neighbors and in return we would be showered with return sweets as gifts. This way I have been introduced to various kinds of sweets from childhood. Being the youngest in the family my role was mostly restricted to helping in the kitchen and that’s the place where I learnt the basics.Of all the cherished memories of my childhood, Eating Kalakand with pistachios and almonds always tops the list.

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 Chena 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.

Preparation Time 1 hour

Serves: 20 to 25 Kalakand

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients for Kalakand :

1 can Milkmaid full cream sweetened condensed milk ( 400gms)
Crumbled paneer or Chena made out of 1 and half litre of full fat milk
generous pinch of cardamom powder
1 tbsp chopped Pistachios for garnishing
½ to 2 tbsp. Lemon juice

Ingredients for Pear and Orange stuffing:

2 nos of Pear
750 ml fresh orange juice
1 inch cinnamon
1 Star anise

let's Learn how to

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.

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 this till the mixture thickens and reduce to its 1/3 quantity. Take out the Star anise and the cinnamon from it. At this point 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.

To make Kalakand, first 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 paneer to it along with the cardamom powder to the pan. Stir and mix well. Cook on a low fire, stir constantly to prevent burning. After a short while, it becomes a thick mass and will begin to leave the sides of the pan. Switch off the Gas.

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. Repeat 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 on this Diwali with your family and friends.