Last year during Diwali, I tried this easy kalakand recipe using paneer and condensed milk ( Milk Maid) by watching YouTube video. Kalakand recipe is nothing but a rich milk cake. It is one of the popular desserts in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi and some places in North India. Traditionally it is prepared by boiling and thickening milk with sugar. It takes hours to prepare.
This easy and instant kalakand recipe calls for just 3 ingredients namely Paneer/Chenna, Condensed milk and cardamom powder. For variations, it can be prepared with ricotta cheese instead of paneer and rose water or kewra essence can be added instead of cardamom powder. It can be prepared so easily and quickly. Its ideal for beginners. In North India, I heard people make Kalakand for Janmashtami as it is a milk based sweet. So I thought of sharing this easy and instant kalakand recipe for this Gokulashtami. Do try this easy, Instant Kalakand recipe using condensed milk and store bought paneer. Lets see how to make it with step by step photos.
Kalakand recipe with condensed milk
Easy, instant kalakand recipe with condensed milk / milk maid
Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese - 1 cup ( I used Milky mist brand)
Milk maid or Amul condensed milk - 200 ml tin
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Butter or ghee - 1 tsp
HOW TO MAKE KALAKAND
Crumble or grate the paneer.
In a kadai, heat 1 tsp ghee and add the condensed milk. Mix well.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder and mix well.
When the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of pan, switch off flame.
Transfer to a greased or butter paper lined bowl. Refrigerate for an hour. Cut into pieces.
Garnish with chopped nuts. Serve !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Take the store bought paneer and grate it. Measure 1 cup from it ( loosely packed) and keep aside.Line a pan with butter paper or grease it well with ghee and set aside.
Heat ghee in a non-stick kadai and add the condensed milk. Mix well in very low flame.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder or rose water and mix well. Paneer absorbs condensed milk and it will thicken initially. But if you keep mixing in low flame, mixture will become loose and watery.
Keep the flame medium and stir well. After 3 to 4 minutes, it will start to thicken and leave the sides of pan. Mix for a minute. You will see the mixture becoming grainy and thick. Switch off the flame and remove the pan immediately.
Pour it to the butter paper lined pan for 2 inch thickness. Level it and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours till its well set. Garnish with chopped nuts and stud it well. Cut into pieces and serve chilled for best taste.
Enjoy !
Note
You can add some sugar ( say 1tbsp) if you feel sweet is less.
Fresh chena tastes the best. But I used store bought paneer.
If you mix for long time, kalakand may become chewy.So remove at the right time.
If you are not able to cut into pieces, refrigerate for more time.
I wanted to post no burst Maida seedai recipe during last year Gokulashtami but I couldn’t. So this year I thought of starting my Gokulashtami recipes with some interesting seedai varieties. For Krishna Jayanthi, we make seedai recipes using rice flour. I came to know about this maida sweet seedai ( Inippu seedai) and maida kara seedai recipes when my fellow bloggers posted it. When I read this seedai is a no burst, fool proof recipe that is ideal for beginners, I was very happy and confident to try it.
I thought maida has to be steam cooked to make this cheedai. But when I saw this easy, instant sweet seedai recipe in Sharmis passions, I tried it immediately. But I used less milk. Even though its my first try, it came out really well. It had cracks but still I was happy with the results as it tasted great. My MIL usually says sweet seedai have mild cracks. The taste of this sweet maida seedai reminded me tea kadai vettu cakeand sweet maida biscuit. This seedai tastes crispy outside and soft inside. You can store this seedai for a week and enjoy. If you trying for the first time, do follow the same quantity mentioned in this post. Once you get them perfect, you can make in bulk quantity. Friends, do try this interesting seedai variety for Gokulashtami and enjoy. Lets see how to make Maida sweet seedai with step by step photo and video !
Add milk gradually and make a slightly sticky dough.
Grease your fingers with ghee or oil and make small balls.
Spread them in a dry cloth and rest for 10 minutes.
Deep fry till golden in low to medium flame. Remove and store after it cools down.
Maida sweet seedai recipe - Step by step photo
Powder 1/4 cup sugar along with 2 cardamom. Remove in a bowl and measure 1/4 cup from it.
In a wide bowl, take 1 tsp melted ghee. Add cooking soda, powdered sugar, all purpose flour, sesame seeds.
Mix well till crumbly to spread the ghee in flour. Add milk little by little and make a slightly sticky dough. Take care you add the milk slowly else dough will become very sticky. Don't worry if its too sticky, add 1 tsp more maida and try to bring the dough slightly sticky. No need to rest the dough. Roll the balls immediately.
Grease your fingers with ghee or oil and roll the seedai. Make small sized, smooth balls without cracks using three fingers.Do not roll tight. Spread them in a dry cloth. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadai. Drop a pinch of dough. If it comes to the top immediately, oil temperature is right. Lower the flame completely. Take the balls and make a perfect round if its flat.
Drop 10 to 15 seedai per batch by standing a feet away( Just for precaution) But don't scare, this seedai never burst. Do not disturb the seedai in oil till it starts to float on top. Then toss the seedai with a ladle and cook till golden in color uniformly. Keep tossing whenever needed. Flame should be low to medium for uniform cooking else seedai will become dark brown quickly.
Remove when the bubbles reduces. Do not wait for the bubbles to stop completely. This seedai becomes slightly bigger in size after frying. It tastes soft when hot. It becomes crunchy when it cool down. Store it after they cool down. Enjoy. It stays good for weeks together.
Notes
Do not add more cooking soda. Seedai may disperse in oil.
Do not make the dough too sticky and loose. Seedai will dissolve in oil.
If the dough is too sticky, you can add 1 to 2 tsp more flour to achieve the right texture.
After rolling, if the balls flatten, it shows moisture is more in the dough. In that case, roll it again and then drop in oil.
Chakkara Pongali Recipe - Andhra style sweet pongal recipe prepared with sugar, milk, rice and dal. As Varalakshmi Vratham is fast approaching, I wanted to share some neivedyam recipes. I found Chakkara Pongal is most commonly prepared for all the festivals in Andhra. Basically Telugu people make two types of sweet pongal recipes. One with sugar and the other one with jaggery called as bellam pongali. Today I have shared chakkara pongal recipe with milk and sugar with step by step pictures and video.
My neighbor Sowjanya who taught me poornam boorelu shared her traditional way of making chakkara pongali recipe without moong dal. Yes, I used chana dal instead of moong dal. This chakkara pongal preparation is completely different from Tamil nadu sakkarai pongal. In Tamil nadu style sweet pongal recipe, moong dal and jaggery is used. When Sowjanya told me to use chana dal and sugar, I was surprised to see the variation.
I tried this sweet pongal for Friday Lakshmi Poojaneivedyam. Traditionally, this pongal has to be prepared by cooking rice and dal in milk in a pot. But I used pressure cooker to save time. Chakkara pongal came out really well. I passed this prasadam to Sowjanya for her feedback about its taste and color. She told it tasted really good. I was very happy to hear this from her as its my first attempt.
Of course all the credits goes to her for giving me the precise measurements. She also shared some variations in this recipe. I have mentioned those points in NOTES section. Ok, lets see how to make Andhra style chakkara pongal recipe with step by step photos and video. This week I will try to share more neivedyam recipes for Varalakshmi viratham. Stay tuned !
Raw rice – 1/2 cup (Use good quality Sona masoori)
Chana dal Or Moong dal - 1.5 tbsp
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp( or Dry coconut powder)
Cashew nuts - 5 nos
Dry grapes - 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
How to make the Andhra Chakkara Pongali recipe
Wash and keep the raw rice aside.
Heat 2 tsp ghee in a cooker base. Roast chana dal or moong dal till golden with nice aroma.
Add washed rice, water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles in low flame.
Mash it well. Add milk, sugar, cardamom powder and grated coconut. Mix well.
Boil in low flame for 5 minutes. Consistency should not be too thick.
Roast the nuts in ghee and add to pongal, mix well. Enjoy !
Chakkara Pongal Recipe - Step by step pictures
Wash the rice and keep aside. Heat 2 tsp ghee in a cooker base. Roast the chana dal till golden with nice smell.
Add 2 cups of water, washed rice and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 2 to 3 whistles in low flame. Dal won't become mushy. It should be visible in the mashed rice.
Add sugar, milk, cardamom powder and freshly grated coconut or dry coconut powder. Mix well and boil in low flame for 5 minutes. Make sure bottom is not burnt. Mix whenever needed.
Remove when its semi solid and keep aside. Roast the chopped nuts and dry grapes in the remaining 2.5 tbsp ghee. Roast till dry grapes puff up and cashew becomes golden.
Add to the pongal. Mix well. If the pongal is too thick, add some boiled milk and bring to the desired consistency. You can reheat this pongal adding little water or milk and serve it after the pooja. It tastes fresh and good when served hot. Andhra style chakkara pongali is ready. Try this for festivals and enjoy !
Notes
For variations, You can add moong dal instead of chana dal.
You can pressure cook the rice and dal adding milk instead of water. In that case, you should add nearly 3 cups of milk.
Cardamom powder is a must. You can also add few saffron threads to make it rich.
My neighbor told me to cook rice and dal in a pot adding milk. But I cooked them in a pressure cooker to save time.
Andhra style sweet pongal recipe with milk & sugar is ready for neivedyam. Try this for festivals and enjoy !
Every Thursday and Friday , I perform Guru Pooja and Mahalakshmi Pooja at home. Usually I make Payasam/Kheer or sweet pongal for neivedyam/Prashad. As I am bored of making the same, I am trying out easy sweets recipes like burfi, halwa for every week pooja. Check out my earlier posts suji ka halwa,atta halwa, bread halwa and carrot halwa.
Last week Thursday, I prepared this beetroot halwa for the first time following my carrot halwa recipe using pressure cooker. As I did not have Khoya/mawa or condensed milk in hand, I just used milk and sugar. It came out really well. This halwa takes less ghee and sugar unlike other halwa recipes. Still it tasted rich, looked colorful and shiny. Sendhil & Raksha loved it a lot. I am sure kids would love to taste this halwa just by seeing its color.
Overall its a healthy and nice alternative from the carrot halwa/ Gajar halwa. But remember to add the right amount of ingredients mentioned in the recipe. Adding more sugar makes the halwa hard like burfi. Stirring the halwa for long time makes it chewy. This halwa thickens as it cools down. Keep these points in mind and start making it. You can make a perfect beetroot halwa !
Beetroot halwa stays good for a week when refrigerated. You can serve it chilled or reheat for few seconds in a microwave oven or a kadai with little ghee to serve it warm. It tastes really great when served warm with a scoop of ice cream. Now lets see how to make this yummy, easy, colorful , healthy, Indian dessert recipe –Beetroot halwa with step by step photos and a video !
Beetroot halwa recipe in a pressure cooker
How to make beetroot halwa in a pressure cooker just by using milk and sugar !
HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT HALWA IN PRESSURE COOKER - METHOD
Wash 2 big sized beetroot, slice the top and bottom portion and peel its skin using a peeler. Grate it using a big holed grater. If we use small holed grater, beetroot becomes mushy after cooking and resembles jam. So I always prefer big sized holes for grating. Measure it after grating and keep 3 cups ( loosely packed) aside !
In a pressure cooker base, heat 1.5 tbsp of ghee. Add the grated beetroot and saute till its raw smell goes off completely & beetroot turns pale in color. It takes 7 to 10 minutes.
Now add the boiled milk( at room temperature) and add a small pinch of salt. Addition of salt helps to enhance the sweetness of halwa. Mix well and pressure cook in very low flame for 3-4 whistles. It takes nearly 15 minutes. Open the cooker after the steam is released.
Boil till 3/4th of the excess milk gets absorbed by the halwa.When the halwa starts to become thick, add sugar. Mix well till sugar melts. The mixture will become watery. Keep mixing in medium to high flame till the halwa starts to leaves the sides and bottom of cooker. Stay nearby and keep mixing else halwa may burn in the bottom. This process takes more than 20 minutes in medium flame.
When the halwa becomes thick, glossy and leave the sides of cooker, reduce the flame to low and keep mixing for one minute. Halwa leaves the pan completely and gathers in the center. Switch off the flame and remove the cooker from the stove. It looks moist now. Let the halwa be in cooker for few minutes.In the mean time, roast the cashews.
Heat the remaining 1.5 tbsp. ghee in a kadai and roast the cashew nuts till golden. Add it to the halwa in the cooker. Mix well and transfer the halwa to another bowl. Halwa looks slightly moist and sticky when hot. As it cools down, it becomes thick and set well. Original taste and sweetness of this halwa can be known only after it becomes warm. If you want more sweetness, heat halwa & sugar in a kadai and Consume after it becomes warm. You can even refrigerate the halwa for an hour to serve chilled !
I like to have it warm with a scoop of ice cream! Tastes yummy !!!
Note
This halwa stays good for one day without refrigeration.But it stays good for 3-4 days if stored in an air tight box in a refrigerator. Use clean spoon for handling !
Reduce the quantity of sugar if the beetroot is too sweet. But do not add more sugar than the mentioned quantity. Halwa may become hard like a burfi after mixing.
Mix the halwa till it becomes thick and leaves the sides of pan. It will thicken as it cools down.
Adding cardamom powder helps to give a nice flavor. Do not avoid it.
If you want to add condensed milk, reduce the quantity of sugar or skip it completely.
You can add sugarless khoya at the end, mix well and remove the halwa. It makes the halwa more rich in taste !
Try this easy, yummy beetroot halwa for festivals and occasions. You will love it !
I must thank my reader friend Harini for requesting me to try Chennai Ganga sweets shop style coconut burfi with khoya ( Thengai burfi in Tamil, Nariyal Ki burfi in Hindi). When she told me, I had no clue about its taste and texture. Recently I bought that coconut burfi from Ganga sweets during my Chennai trip. When I tasted it, I found the barfi is made with coconut and khoya. I browsed for the recipe and tried it by watching Dr.Shalini’s YouTube video. Even though its my first attempt, I am quiet happy with the results.I won’t say it came out 100% close to the sweet shop ones but it tasted similar.
Usually South Indian coconut burfi is made by cooking freshly scraped coconut in sugar syrup of one string consistency. But this coconut burfi with khoya is prepared by cooking khoya/mawa, desiccated coconut, sugar and water together till it reaches the burfi consistency. You don’t have to check for one string sugar syrup. But this burfi takes long time to cook and set as it has khoya in it.
I have not used milk, milk powder or condensed milk in this recipe as I had used yellow food color to resemble the sweet shop burfi. If you want to make white colored coconut burfi, use milk instead of water. I am happy that I could try this North Indian style nariyal ki burfi successfully at home. I am sharing this colorful recipe as my contribution for Holi festival. Do try this easy and yummy coconut mawa burfi at home for this festival and have a great celebration. Lets see how to make coconut khoya burfi with step by step photos and a VIDEO !
Do check out my Holi special recipes COLLECTION for more sweets and snacks ideas!
Coconut khoya burfi recipe - Nariyal Ki barfi with mawa
How to make coconut khoya burfi recipe at home - North Indian style coconut burfi with khoya !
Desiccated coconut - 1.5 cups ( I used store bought dry coconut)
Unsweetened Khoya / Mawa - 1 cup ( I used 200gms of Milky mist khoya)
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Saffron threads - Few
Yellow food color - A pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped pistachios – 2 tbsp ( To garnish)
Ghee – 1 tsp ( to grease the plate)
METHOD
Grease a tray with ghee and keep it ready. Mash the khoya well and measure 1 cup. Keep aside.In a kadai, take 3/4 cup of water, add saffron threads, food color and cardamom powder. Mix well and let it start to boil. Add 1 cup of mashed khoya and mix well without lumps. It resembles condensed milk after mixing.
When it starts to boil with bubbles, add sugar and mix well.Sugar melts and the mixture starts to roll boil. Let it boil for a minute.
Then add 1.5 cups of desiccated coconut and mix well. Mixture will start to thicken. Keep mixing till the burfi mixture is thick and leaves the sides of pan completely. It becomes a whole mass with nice coconut smell. Stay nearby and keep stirring to prevent burnt bottom. It takes nearly 10–15 minutes to reach the final stage if mixing in medium to high flame. Make sure there is very less moisture. It should not be too wet. Remember over mixing makes the burfi too hard and chewy.So remove it at the right time.
Grease the bottom of a small bowl with ghee. Put the burfi mixture to the greased tray and press it well with a greased bowl. Level it and sprinkle the chopped pista pieces. Press it well.
Freeze the burfi mixture for one hour OR refrigerate it for 2-3 hours. It helps to set the burfi quickly and make shapes perfectly. Mark square shape using a greased knife.As the burfi mixture is cold and frozen, it would be difficult to handle. So press it hard to mark shapes. Remove it after few minutes. It tastes slightly chewy when consumed on the same day. Tastes perfect the next day. This burfi needs a setting time of 8 hours. Be patient. Leave over night and taste it the next day to know its actual taste.
Enjoy ! This burfi stays good for 2 days in room temperature and 4 – 5 days under refrigeration.
Note
If you want to use fresh coconut, you can use instead of desiccated coconut. But it takes longer time to cook and reach the final stage as fresh coconut has some water content.
Shelf life of the sweet reduces if you use fresh coconut.
Try this easy, yummy coconut khoya burfi at home and enjoy the festival !
