Ingredients:

  • 5 cups walnuts
  • 1L milk
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 4-5 cardamoms, powdered
  • 1/2 can condensed milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon rose water
  • Chopped walnuts and dried rose petals, to garnish

Preparation:

  1. Roast walnuts in a pan on medium low heat for 3-4 minutes. Let cool, and then coarsely chop. Keep aside.
  2. Line a strainer with muslin cloth over a wide bowl and keep aside.
  3. In a heavy bottom pan, add whole milk and heat on medium high, stirring often. Let milk come to a boil, then turn heat off. Add 1 tablespoon juice, stir. If required, add another teaspoon till milk curdles completely and the whey separates.
  4. Pour curdled milk over the muslin lined strainer. Wash the chena (curdled milk) to rid of the lemon flavor.
  5. Squeeze out a little of the excess water- be careful not to over squeeze else the kalakand will be too dry. Tie the edges of the muslin cloth and let it hang over the sink faucet for 10-15 minutes.
  6. In a pan, add the condensed milk, and chena (curdled milk). Mix and cook on low, stirring often. Cook for 10-12 minutes, till mixture thickens a bit and starts leaving the sides. Do not dry out completely.
  7. Add cardamom powder and chopped walnuts, reserving a few to sprinkle on the top.
  8. Grease an 8-inch pan, and line with parchment paper. Spread the mixture in half of the pan (the kalakand needs to be thick). Sprinkle the nuts and dried rose petals on top. Let set for a few hours, before cutting and serving.