Mango Kalakand-Mango Milk Sweet-Indian Mithai

Kalakand is a soft, creamy, milk fudge, served during festive occasions like Holi and Diwali. It is a luxurious sweet with a unique texture and taste. The key ingredients of this sweet/mithai are milk and sugar. I have shared several Indian sweets made with milk like Sandesh, Milk Peda, Cham Cham, etc. Each of these is unique in their way. Kalakand sweet belongs to the category of traditional old-fashioned milk fudge. It became popular in the early 1900s with a uniquely moist, grainy texture due to the addition of chenna/ fresh paneer or coagulated milk solids. It is popular in North India but, I find that it has a similar texture and taste to South Indian sweet Thirattupal. It is gently laced with the flavor of cardamom powder and rose water.

Now coming to today's recipe, there is a delicious twist to this classic sweet. It has the added sweetness and taste of mangoes. If you are a mango lover, here is a decadent treat for you! Mango Kalakand is flavorful and very addictive. Mango puree also gives it a bright yellow color. You can also experiment with additional flavorings like rose syrup or chocolate.

The traditional Kalakand making process is time-consuming. You will need to spend hours stirring the milk until it gets reduced to 1/3 of its quantity. This method requires constant stirring so that the mixture does not burn. Making this sweet the halwai style is time-consuming, but there are some easy short cuts to make instant Kalakand, and it tastes just the same as ones from the bakeries. The ingredients that you can use to cut short the cooking time is Khoya or reduced milk or a can of condensed milk. To get the grainy texture you can use Ricotta cheese or homemade chenna/paneer, a kind of coagulated milk solids. Making homemade paneer is a simple process. You will need an acidic medium like lemon juice or vinegar to help separate the milk solids.
This vibrant colored mango Kalakand was beyond what I expected! Give this recipe a try. I would love to hear from you, so let me know how it turned out for you :)

About the Ingredients

Milk or condensed milk- If you are planning to make Kalakand the traditional way, use full-fat milk. Add on liter milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in between to avoid burning in the bottom. Let the milk slowly reduce to about 1/3 and the slightly thicken. Alternatively, you can use the store brought Khoya or reduced milk. If you are using condensed milk use one whole tin.

Chena/fresh paneer- Fresh paneer adds the soft grainy texture to the Kalakand. You can use both homemade or finely grated store brought paneer. I have used homemade paneer for this recipe as it gives better taste and flavor. To make homemade paneer the first step is to boil the milk let it cool down for two to three minutes and then curdle it using lemon juice or vinegar. Once the milk curdles you can drain the water using a muslin cloth and you will get milk solid. You can substitute this with ricotta cheese.

Mango Puree - You can use fresh mango or canned mango puree to make this recipe. The best one with real intense mango flavor is Alphonso mangoes. It is very sweet and has a rich creamy texture. It is easily available in supermarkets during summer. But canned mango puree also works fine with this recipe.

Mango Kalakand Recipe

Ingredients

Condensed milk- 1 tin/ 400 grams/14 oz.

Paneer/chena- 1 cup
Mango pulp- 1 1/2 cup
Sugar- 2 tbs ( according to sweetness of Mango)
Cardamon Powder - 1/2 tsp
Rose Water- 1 tsp
Almonds or pistachios for garnish

To make Chena/home made paneer

Milk - 1 Liter and Lemon Juice- 1 tsp

To make chena or fresh paneer

Boil one liter of milk and set aside for two to three minutes. Add lemon juice and let the milk curdle. Let it cool down and allow the milk to separate.

Place the cheesecloth on a kitchen mesh strainer and strain the milk. Rinse it under running water to remove the taste of lemon juice and squeeze off the excess liquid. Let it sit for half an hour, you can also hang it so that all the excess water drains off. Remove the chena or milk solid into a bowl and break it into small pieces.

To make the Kalakand

In a nonstick pan or a heavy bottom, pan cook mango puree till it is cooked and reduced. Set this aside. In a heavy bottom, pan add condensed milk and paneer mixture Stir and cook in medium flame for about eight or ten minutes till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add the cooked mango puree and blend well. Cook for another 4-5 minutes till it is smooth and comes together like dough. Add cardamom powder and rose water and mix well. Transfer to a greased plate and spread evenly. Add chopped nuts on top as garnish. Let it set and cool down completely. Refrigerate for three to four hours. Cut into small squares and serve. It is best to serve chilled. You can store these 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

To make Kalakand with ricotta cheese

You can use around 400 grams of Ricotta cheese and one tin of condensed milk. In a pan, mix ricotta cheese, condensed milk, mango puree and, sugar if need. Follow the same instruction as above. Cook till the mixture is reduced and leaves the edges of the pan. Spread evenly on a greased tray and let it cool down and set. Cut into small pieces and serve.