I love milk sweets but kalakand is probably one of my favourites. Dadu’s in Hyderabad sells a mean kalakand that’s grainy and a single bar of it will have shades of brown depending on how much the milk has cooked. It’s absolutely delicious! During Diwali every year, Google Hyderabad would give out boxes of sweets from Dadu’s and I would eat the kalakand first – no sharing!
Traditionally, kalakand is made by gently adding some sort of splitting agent to milk but not letting it completely curdle. The gently curdling results in the grainy texture that’s so popular in kalakand. The texture of kalakand made with mawa is a bit different and smoother but it’s still delicious and takes not more than 15 mins to make. A definite win when you are making a whole suite of sweets (hah) for Diwali.
Choc Khoya Kalakand-Kalakand Recipe-Diwali Sweets
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes 12 pieces
Ingredients:
1 cup of grated khoya / mawa (unsweetened)
1/2 cup of sugar (adjust to taste)
1 heaping tbsp of cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp of milk
Chopped nuts for garnish
Instructions:
0. Mix the chocolate powder and milk to form a thick-ish paste. Set aside.
1. Add the grated khoya and sugar to a wide pan kept on low flame. I used brown sugar because that’s all I had in hand. White sugar works well too.
2. Gently heat this through and keep mixing until the khoya thickens and starts rolling around your spatula. It will not stick to the pan anymore. This will take not more than 3-4 mins.
3. Take half of this mixture and pat it firmly at the base of a greased plate. You can use a regular steel plate or whatever you have in hand. I used my glass pie dish greased with a teeny bit of ghee.
4. Don’t let the rest of the mixture sit there too long unattended! Quickly add the chocolate powder+milk mixture and stir to combine. After a min, remove.
5. Pat the chocolate mixture firmly and evenly on the previous layer.
6. Add chopped nuts (I used pistachios) and gently press so that it gets embedded into the kalakand.
7. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into squares. Keeps well for up to a week in the refrigerator. Warm slightly before serving for maximum deliciousness.
I am on the look out for easy Diwali sweets recipes. If you have any ideas or regular ones you cook, please leave me a comment with the recipe or send me an email. Thanks! ๐ Also, check here for 12 easy Diwali sweets under 20 mins.
For Kalakand recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, etc, please use the Google Translate button in the sidebar.
Nandita Pai Shirali
Yum! Bookmarked this! ๐
Preethi
Can we use HERSHEY'S Unsweetened Cocoa. In that case, do I have to use extra sugar? If so, how much?
Nagalakshmi V
yes of course. you can use any type of cocoa powder. the amount of sugar is the same.
Anonymous
Did you buy khoya or made at home? Let me know the brand or process you followed. Thanks!
Archana Chari
I have tried Kalakand only once and ended up with a semi-cooked khoya. This thing seems easy but really involves patience and some skill, which I sadly lacked then! Choc+Pista = always win!
Charul @ Tadka Masala
Loving the look of your kalakand. Gonna try it this Diwali. ๐
Sreelu
Nags, love the recipe, will try it during this festive season
Dipti Joshi
Here's a recipe for a Diwali sweet, Mango Burfi ๐
http://dipsdiner.com/dd/?p=402
lifescoops
easy and quick recipes are always welcome ๐ Love the chocolate addition !
Priya R
what a delicious post Nags, I am planning to get the choco powder from amazon, the one you use for all your chocolate dishes, i simply love the color it give to the recipe. I am sure you used it in this… ๐
Nagalakshmi V
yes i did! i love that too and i am quickly running out ๐
ramya anand
Is there any substitute or shortcut method for making khoya?
Nagalakshmi V
Not that I know of. But you can make kalakand and burfi using milk powder or ricotta cheese. The recipe will change entirely though.