Alwar ka Kalakand

Name: Alwar ka Kalakand
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Rajasthani
Ingredients: 2 litre Full fat milk; 3 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar; 200 g Sugar; 0.5 tsp green cardamom powder; 2 tbsp chopped pistachios; 1 sheet silver leaf (varq)

A soft, grainy milk sweet said to have originated by accident in Alwar, made by curdling and slow-reducing milk with sugar into a fudge that is neither fully paneer nor khoya.

🇮🇳India· Rajasthan

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 60 min
Total: 75 min
Servings: 10
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 180 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 6 gathered

Servings

2 litre Full fat milk
3 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar — diluted, for curdling
200 g Sugar
½ tsp green cardamom powder
2 tbsp chopped pistachios — for garnish
1 sheet silver leaf (varq) — optional garnish

Equipment

•Heavy-bottomed pan
•Greased tray

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 180 kcal
fat: 9 g
carbs: 18 g
fibre: 0 g
protein: 6 g
calories: 180 kcal

Instructions

1
Boil 1.5 litres of milk in a heavy pan. Stir in diluted lemon juice slowly to make soft curds (chenna), then strain without pressing.
2
Simmer the remaining half litre of milk on low heat. Stir often until it thickens into a rich paste (khoya).
3
Add the moist chenna to the reduced milk in the pan. Mix them together well.
4
Add sugar and cook on low-medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the grainy mixture thickens and pulls away from the pan sides.
5
Stir in cardamom powder during the last few minutes of cooking.
6
Pour the mixture into a greased tray. Spread it evenly to about 1.5 cm thickness.
7
Top with chopped pistachios and edible silver leaf while warm. Press gently so they stick.
8
Let it cool completely. Cut into neat squares before serving.

Chef's tips

Keep the chenna soft and moist rather than pressing it dry, as this gives kalakand its classic grainy texture. Stir continuously while reducing milk so it does not catch and burn.