Diwali is just around the corner and I am spending the last few days cleaning and dusting the house, making some snacks and sweets for my family. Isn’t this the best time of the year, the air is so festive, the markets are full of sweets, decorative materials, flowers and more.

I made a quintessential Diwali sweet that is loved by kids, adults and seniors everyone alike. This Pistachio Lemon Kalakand is my super easy two-ingredient recipe with Milkmaid and fresh paneer and gets ready in only 15 minutes. However, I have definitely added my twist to the recipe and now love making this version more than the regular one.

Key Ingredients - Milkmaid and Grated Paneer
Key Ingredients – Milkmaid and Grated Paneer

This is my Kalakand or milk cake recipe, which is so light, sweet and grainy and absolutely melts in the mouth. I add a small twist of adding a little lemon juice to it to break through the sweetness of the Milkmaid and add a little lemon zest on top to make for additional lemony flavour. However, you can absolutely omit this if you like the classic version.

For a super fresh and soft Kalakand, it’s better to use fresh paneer. You can either get malai paneer from the market or also use homemade paneer. (will add the recipe to make paneer at home at the end of the recipe).

Pistachio_Lemon_Kalakand
Pistachio_Lemon_Kalakand
PREPARATION TIME: 3-4 hours
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 6-8 pieces
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Low

INGREDIENTS: 

  1. Amul Mithai Maid/Milkmaid – ½ tin
  2. Paneer – 1 cup, grated
  3. Rosewater/Gulab Jal – 1 teaspoon
  4. Cardamom powder – a pinch
  5. Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
  6. Lemon zest – ½ teaspoon
  7. Pistachio – 1 tablespoon, crushed

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

  1. Tin/mould
  2. Butter paper
  3. Non-stick kadhai/wok
  4. Wooden spoon
  5. Grater

RECIPE:

  1. Take a non-stick kadhai and add half a tin of the Amul Milkmaid.
  2. Grate a cup of paneer and add it to the kadhai and keep it on low flame. You can also crumble the paneer with a fork but make sure there are no lumps or big chunky pieces.
Mix both the ingredients in a non stick pan
Mix both the ingredients
  1. Keep stirring this mixture constantly so that it doesn’t turn brown or burn.
  2. You need to stir this for about 15 minutes till the mix starts leaving the sides of the kadhai. Remember that the mix should still be liquid and runny and should not become dry.
Final mix once cooked
Final mix once cooked
  1. Add a pinch of cardamom powder and a teaspoon of rose water/Gulab Jal. Also, add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix everything well.
  2. Take the mould and line it with butter paper. If you don’t have that, then grease it with some ghee.
  3.  Add the cooked and hot Kalakand mix to the mould and flatten it with a knife. (I used my usual cake mould for this.) Keep the thickness of the mix about 3-4 inch.
Line Butter Paper and add the mix in a mould
Line Butter Paper and add mix in a mould
  1. Crush some pistachios and add them on top of the kalakand. Also, add a little lemon zest to top.
Mix in a mould
Mix in a mould
  1. Place this in a refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
  2. Once it is chilled and set, cut small pieces with a knife and your Pistachio Lemon kalakand is ready.
Pistachio_n_Lemon_Kalakand
Pistachio & Lemon Kalakand

HOMEMADE PANEER RECIPE:

  1. For a cup of paneer, take a litre of full cream milk and place it in a pan and boil it.
  2. Once the milk boils, add the juice of about 1 lemon to it and reduce the heat.
  3. Take a spoon and mix the lemon juice well. Milk will curdle and remove paneer and leave water behind.
  4. Take a muslin cloth as a sieve and pass this mix through it.
  5. Hang the muslin cloth around a tap in the sink to remove all excess water.
  6. You can crumble this fresh paneer after half an hour and use this in this kalakand. This is what I like doing as well since it tastes exceptional when it is fresh.

LINKS:

  1. Dr. Oetkar’s tin Cake Mould – I used this since I had only this mould. You could use any other tin/aluminium mould as well.
  2. Amul Mithai Mate – you will need half of this
  3. Pistachios
  4. Edible Rose Water 
  5. Butter Paper Roll –  for lining

This stays fresh and yummy for about 5-7 days. Enjoy this Kalakand during this festive season.