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Pistachio Kalakand / Kalakand With Pistachios

By Jigna
Pistachio Kalakand is soft, moist, melt in the mouth, and has a delicate grainy texture. It is sweet and has a slightly nutty taste from pistachio!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine Indian
Course Dessert, Sweet
Diet Vegetarian
Servings 24

Equipment

  • Frying Pan

Video

Ingredients
  

For Chhena

  • 2 Liters (8 cups) full-fat or whole milk
  • 4 tablespoon white vinegar or lime juice (or as required)

For Pistachio Kalakand

  • 2 cups (350g) tightly packed crumbled chhena or grated paneer
  • 300 ml condensed milk
  • ¼ cup unsalted ground pistachios
  • ¼ cup (60ml) milk
  • Few strands of saffron
  • 2 teaspoon rose water
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1 tbsp chopped pistachios for garnishing

Instructions
 

Making Chhena

  • Bring 2 liters of milk to boil in a thick pan, stirring continuously.
  • Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat. Add white vinegar or lime, or lemon juice. If you are using lime or lemon juice, make sure to strain to remove fibers. And then use in the recipe.
  • The milk will be curdled, and greenish whey will be separated. Pour this curdled milk into a pan lined with cotton or muslin cloth. Also, we can strain through a strainer with tiny pores.
  • Now pour some cold water onto this chhena to wash out the taste of vinegar. Do not pour too much water.
  • Gently squeeze out the water. Do not squeeze too much, as the chhena should be moist. Let the chhena rest for a while until excess water is removed and the chhena is cool enough to handle.

Making Pistachio Kalakand

  • Grease a baking pan or glass container with butter or ghee and line with parchment paper.
  • Keep the parchment paper edges bigger than the pan, so it is easy to pull Kalakand out of the container. Set aside.
  • Before starting to make Kalakand, crumble the chhena.
  • In a non-stick pan or thick base pan, take crumbled chhena. If you use a store-bought paneer, grate it and use it instead of chhena.
  • Add condensed milk, ground pistachios, milk, and saffron strands. Mix well and cook on low to medium heat, stirring continuously.
  • Once the mixture starts thickening, taste it, and add more condensed milk at this stage if you prefer it sweeter.
  • Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture becomes thick like a big lump and stops sticking to the pan. Depending on your stovetop's heat, it will take approximately 10-15 minutes or a little more or less time.
  • Do not overcook; the mixture should be moist and a little sticky. Once it becomes a thick mass and stops sticking on the sides of the pan, turn off the heat.
  • Now add rose water and cardamom powder, mix well.
  • Pour this mixture into greased pan or container. Spread it evenly and smooth the top. Then sprinkle chopped pistachios.
  • Refrigerate Kalakand for a few hours or at least for 2 hours. Once it is set, pull it out from the pan. Cut the Kalakand into the desired shape and size.

Serving and Storing Suggestions

  • Serve chilled Pistachio Kalakand immediately or keep it in an air-tight container and store it in the fridge until the time of serving.
  • Kalakand will not stay at room temperature as it is a milk-based sweet. So keep the leftovers tightly covered in the fridge.
  • We can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

  1. Milk: Use whole milk or full-fat milk to make chhena for this recipe. However, if you only have low-fat milk, you can replace one cup of milk with one cup of heavy cream to make chhena.
  2. Chhena: Do not squeeze chhena too much, as chhena should be well moistened to make Kalakand. Moist chhena will make juicy and soft Kalakand.
  3. Serving: Instead of chilling and shaping Pistachio Kalakand, you can also serve it loose and warm in a serving bowl.
  4. Sweetness: Adjust the amount of condensed milk as per your sweetness preference. So, start with adding little less condensed milk, mix, taste, and then add more as you need.
  5. Vinegar: Instead of white vinegar, you can also use lemon juice. But strain the juice before adding it to the milk.
  6. Scaling: This recipe can easily be halved or doubled.

Nutrition (Approximate Values)

Calories : 91kcalCarbohydrates : 11gProtein : 4gFat : 4gSaturated Fat : 2gPolyunsaturated Fat : 1gMonounsaturated Fat : 1gCholesterol : 14mgSodium : 48mgPotassium : 172mgFiber : 1gSugar : 11gVitamin A : 169IUVitamin C : 1mgCalcium : 139mgIron : 1mg
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