KALAKAND

Kalakand is a authentic milk sweet loved by every one. This grainy textured sweet had its origin in Uttar Pradesh.  As a child I wondered how it is made. I thought that plain paneer(channa)  is used in making this. I used to experiment mixing channa , sugar and cooking the mixture along with ghee. But never I got that traditional taste. When I grew up I learnt that khoya and channa  are both combined to make the dish.
There are many varieties of kalakand available when you go to a sweet shop. Basically there are two varieties. One is the white colored one and the other is a light brown one.  All the other varieties are made by mixing some other ingredients to make it tastier. Coco powder, chocolate, pista, badam powder, Raisin paste etc are used to enhance the taste. The ratio of channa to khoya decides the texture and color of the kalakand. Here I used equal ratios of khoya and channa. You can change the ratio to suite your taste.
Home made paneer and khoya makes best tasting kalakand, but it takes a very long time. If you want to make it quickly use the store bought paneer and khoya. Here I made both channa and paneer at home. I will give details of both the versions.
METHOD 1
INGREDIENTS 

• Whole Milk                   3litres
• Sugar                           1/2 kg
• Lemon juice                3 Tsp
• Cardamom powder      1/2 tsp
• Chopped Nuts             for garnishing
• Ghee                            2 Tsp

PROCEDURE
MAKING PANEER
Take 1+1/2 liters of milk in a pan, switch on the flame the  and let the milk boil. Now add the lemon juice, keep stirring. The milk starts to curdle. If needed add more of the lemon juice. When the paneer completely separates from the whey, sieve it with muslin cloth in a sieve. Discard the whey. Keep the sieve with paneer under cold water or put some ice cubes with water in the paneer. This helps paneer to retain softness and also removes lemon smell from paneer.  Squeeze out the excess water and keep the paneer separately. 

  MAKING KHOYA(KOVA)
Take the remaining milk in a thick bottomed pan. Bring it to a boil. Keep on a medium flame and keep stirring the milk till the milk reduces to 1/4th. I t takes about 45 minutes. The creamy layer( malai) should not form on the milk, so keep on stirring. If you stop stirring for a minute the milk may stick onto the bottom of the pan, so be cautious. Now add the sugar. Now the sugar melts and the milk again increases. Now its the crucial time. Keep on a low flame and continue stirring. After half an hour or so the milk tends to form khoya(kova).( the time depends on the amount of milk ). The khoya making is very tedious so call your friend or husband to help you in continuous stirring. 
MAKING KALAKAND
Before the milk completely forms into khoya, but is very much thick add the paneer and stir. Now add the ghee and keep stirring. Now a thick lump of kalakand is formed, remove it onto a greased plate and let it set for an hour. Garnish with the desired nuts and cut into desired shape.                                         

METHOD 2
INGREDIENTS

• Paneer                                1 cup
• Evaporated milk                  1/2 cup
• Sugar                                  1/2 cup
• Ghee                                   2 Tsp
• Cardamom                           a pinch

                            OR

• Paneer                                1 cup
• Plain khoya                          1 cup
• Sugar                                   1 cup
• Cardamom                            a pinch

PROCEDURE
The second method is very simple and it is also done in very less time. Making paneer at home is easy so go for it or grate the store bought paneer and keep it aside. If the paneer measures one cup take half cup of the evaporated milk. Mix in the paneer, sugar and evaporated milk( can replace evaporated milk and sugar with condensed milk) and keep the mixture on fire. Initially the mixture loosens, keep on stirring. When the mixture tends to thicken add a couple of tablespoons of ghee and cardamom. Stir well and remove onto a plate. Garnish with nuts and let cool. When completely cooled cut into desired shape.
If khoya is used mix in the khoya, paneer,  sugar and keep it on a stove. If the mixture is too thick add a little bit of milk. Add the ghee and cardamom. Let the mixture cook on a slow flame for about 5 minutes. Remove on to a plate, garnish and cut into pieces after it is cooled.