Story behind KALAKAND and it's recipe.

Hello everyone! Today's dessert is pure magic. One bite of this dessert gets you back to experiencing all the memories from your childhood. The richness in every single bite is beyond explanations.

I had recently tried this recipe at home and I was shocked to find so many different stories behind "why it was named as kalakand?" 

Out of so many stories I found this one which was the most interesting. It is said that the person who made this dessert was Baba Thakur Das. When people used to ask him why he named it as Kalakand he would say that making this dessert itself is an Art. It was said that it was an accident because while he was boiling the milk it split, he couldn't throw it. So he decided to cook it and then by accident "Alwar ki Kalakand" was made. 

Preparation time      : 10-15 minutes.

Cooking time           : 45-60 minutes.

Servings                   : 5-6 people. 

Ingredients: 

500 ml             Milk 

200 ml             Condensed Milk

400 gm            Grated Paneer 

10-15               Cashew Nuts

8-13                 Almonds 

6-11                 Pistachios 

1 tsp                 Ghee 

1 tsp                 Cardamom Powder 

A pinch of Salt

A few strands of Saffron 

1/2 tsp for greasing the tray 

Method: 

1. In a kadhai add milk and paneer. Cook it until the milk is absorbed completely.
2. Add ghee and the dry fruits, let it roast for a bit.
3. Then add condensed milk, saffron strands, cardamom powder and a pinch of salt cook it until it starts getting thicker in consistency. 
4. Now it could be served hot in a bowl. Or else grease a tray, pour the hot kalakand in it and let it come to room temperature. 
5. Once it's in the room temperature put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 
6. Once it's properly set remove it out of the refrigerator. 
7. Shape it or cut it according to your preference and serve.