kalakand recipe with paneer and condensed milk / Orange Kalakand burfi recipe /

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Kalakand Recipe with Paneer and Condensed Milk / Holi Special Food / Kalakand Burfi Recipe with Oranges

Kalakand - Indian milk cake sweet - an amazing dessert 🍨 which is made during festival seasons. This sweet is loved by almost everyone as it is so rich and delicious 😋. I have already posted the basic recipe of kalakand burfi. 

Today's post of kalakand has a twist in it. I have added some fresh orange 🍊 pulp which makes it more tasty with a unique and typical taste. When I googled for this recipe, I did not find any but I found mango kalakand. So I prepared this sweet on a similar basis using oranges as this is the season of oranges.

Talking about the taste, as I said earlier, it is very yummy. Though it is a bit chewy, it is a mouth watering sweet. I have prepared this milk cake for the occasion of Holi. The previous post of kodbale which is a savory snack is also a special recipe for Holi.

You can also check my other festive recipes like

Chena Poda

Pumpkin Halwa

Custard Apple Rabdi

Palkova Recipe

Sabudana Vada Recipe

Poha Kesari

Carrot Kheer

Boorelu

Coconut Jaggery Laddoo

Paneer Kheer    and   many more.....

Preparation

Heat milk in a pan. Allow it to come to a boil.

When it starts to boil, add curd. You can also add lemon juice or vinegar to curdle the m milk. But in the latter case, you need to wash the Chena under running water to get rid of the sour taste from the lemon or vinegar.

Keep stirring gently until the milk Is completely curdled separating the chenna and whey. Now switch off the flame and strain the whey. Strain in such a way that there is no moisture left in the paneer. 

Take the Chena ( without any moisture ) in the pan and put it on a low flame. Strain the chenna well without any moisture. My pic shows that there is water, but make sure that you are not left with any water to speeder the cooking process and to get a soft kalakand. 

Add the orange 🍊 pulp and mix well.

Add the condensed milk and keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom.

Cook on a low flame until there is no moisture left.

Meanwhile keep a plate or a pan greased with ghee and set aside.

When the water is completely evaporated from the mixture and you are left with a mass, switch off the flame.

Transfer to the greased pan and even it with a knife. Sprinkle dry fruits of your choice and allow it to come to room temperature.

Keep it in the fridge for 2-4 hours or overnight and cut into desired shapes. Enjoy with friends and family.

Ingredients

Milk  1 l

Orange  pulp 1/4 cup

Condensed milk  1/4 cup + 4 tbsp.

Curd  4 tbsp.

Ghee  2 tsp

Nuts  to garnish

Method

1. Bring milk to a boil. 
2. Add curd when it is boiling and allow the milk to curdle completely.
3. Drain the whey from the chenna.
4. Take the Chena in the pan and put on a low flame.
5. Add condensed milk and orange pulp and mix well.
6. Cook on a low flame until the moisture is completely evaporated.
7. transfer to a greased pan and garnish with nuts of your choice.
8. Allow to come to room temperature and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.
9. Remove and cut into desired shapes.

Notes

• If you do not have condensed milk, then cook milk until 1/4 th of its volume and then add Chena and orange pulp.
• Do not cook Chena for long as it will become too hard if cooked for long.
• Alternatively, you can first mix condensed milk and orange pulp. Cook until thickened and then add chenna. This way, the kalakand remains soft and tasty.
•  It took a long time for me to get the water evaporated as I had not strained the chenna well. But you do not do the same mistake as mine. Do strain the paneer well and then add the remaining ingredients like orange pulp and condensed milk. 

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Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe / Sautéed Broccoli / Pan Fried Broccoli

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Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe / Sautéed Broccoli / Pan Fried Broccoli 

Todays recipe is a simple stir fry just like any other fry curries. But what makes it special is the variety of veggies that are added and the spices that go into it. This is a curry that I prepared using whatever veggies were available to me at the time, but you can basically include anything you like.

Broccoli is a versatile veggie just like cauliflower, carrots, beans, potatoes, green peas etc. It is highly rich in Vitamin K, Vitamin C, chromium and folate. Broccoli is also a very good source of soluble and dietary fibre which thereby helps in reducing cholesterol levels. It also has numerous antioxidants which helps in building immunity in the body.

Though it is not easily available in the local markets, it is quite common in the supermarkets. It is good to include this veggie once in a fortnight considering the fact that it is very gassy. My son is not a great fan of broccoli, but the addition of the other ingredients like paneer, sweet corn and capsicum makes him to forget about the broccoli and enjoy the dish thoroughly.

You can also check my other simple fry curries which go very well as an accompaniment for both rice or roti :

Snake Gourd Poriyal

Baby Potato Fry

Munagaku ( moringa ) leaves fry

Paneer Bhurji

Ladies Finger Fry

Spring Onion Fry

Broad Beans Stir Fry

Cauliflower Green Peas Stir Fry

Simple Radish Fry

Preparation

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds.

Allow them to splutter. Now add chopped onions and saute until they become transparent.

Throw in turmeric powder and mix.

Now add chopped broccoli and sweet corn seeds.

Add salt and cook covered until the broccoli is 90% cooked. Now add the capsicum ......

.......and cook uncovered until the capsicum is cooked but it still retains its crunchiness. Now add the paneer cubes and mix. You can add homemade herbed paneer for extra flavour. 

Finally add the diced tomatoes and cook until soft.

Sprinkle all the spices namely - chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and flax seeds powder.

Mix it well and check for seasoning. Switch off the flame and serve hot with either rice or roti.

Ingredients

Broccoli  1/2 of a medium broccoli

Sweet corn 1 cup

Paneer  100g

Capsicum 1

Oil  2 tbsp

Onion  1 ( chopped )

Salt  to taste

Garam masala  1/2 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Chilli powder  1 tsp

Flax seeds powder 1 tsp

Mustard seeds  1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds  tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan. 
2. Temper it with mustard and cumin seeds.
3. Once they crackle, add chopped onion. Sauté until translucent and add turmeric powder. 
4. Add the broccoli pieces and the sweet corn kernels. 
5. Sprinkle salt and mix well. Cook covered stirring occasionally until the broccoli is almost cooked but not completely cooked. 
6. Add the capsicum pieces and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. 
7. Now add paneer cubes and diced tomatoes. 
8. Cook until tomatoes are soft. 
9. Sprinkle chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and flax seeds powder. 
10. Mix well and check for seasoning. 
11. Switch off the flame and serve hot with either rice, roti or chapathi.

Notes

• Any other veggies like beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, cabbage, green peas etc. can be added according to the availability. 
• Addition of flax seeds powder makes the dish more nutritious.

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Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets

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Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets

There are 2 occasions coming up on Feb 13 and Feb 14, 2018. Feb 13, 2018 is Maha Sivarathri and Feb 14 is Valentines Day as all of you know. There is a special recipe which suits both these occasions which I have been planning to post since long. I thought of posting this recipe for a long time but I was waiting for the right occasion. There could not be a better occasion more than this because there are two reasons to celebrate. 

I am talking about the famous Orissa sweet - Chenna Poda. Chhena Poda is also known as Pitha Poda.  This famous Odia sweet is  purely an Indian cake 🎂 which is made with  Fresh chenna ( paneer ). This is one of the traditional recipes of Orissa that is quite famous which is served to Lord Jagganath in Puri. This is a very rich cake or dessert dish that is sooooo delicious and lip smacking. My man and daughter just love this cake.

 

The origin of this Indian milk cake is from the state of Orissa. I was born in Berhampur, a famous town area in Orissa and was brought up in the capital city of Bhubaneshwar until the age of 7 after which I moved to our own state of Andhra. But my dad made frequent official visits to Bhubaneshwar. And there was this delicious eggless cheesecake on his return. In that way, we were connected to this dessert.

Traditionally this is made in a big earthen pot which is cooked on a very low flame 🔥for hours together. Since we do not have such equipment in our homes, we can make it in an oven or even in a pressure cooker. Today, I am gonna give the recipe that requires an oven.

Preparation

Take milk in a big vessel and bring it to a boil.

When it is boiling, add curd to cuddle the milk. If it doesn't curdle, add more curd and mix gently until the whey is separated from the milk solid.

Switch off the flame immediately and strain through a muslin cloth or a clean cotton cloth.

Do not throw the whey. You can use it for the preparation of chapathi or any other curries. You need not drain the water completely, it's ok even if there is a little amount of water in the chenna. Take curdled milk ( while it is still hot ) in a bowl and beat or stir until smooth.

Add sooji and mix well until smooth.

Add sugar and mix again until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Now add cardamom powder and mix once again. Add any nuts if you wish at this stage and mix well. I do not like any nuts or raisins in this cake, hence I have not added any. Keep aside.

Now take a pan and heat ghee. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. 

Immediately switch off the flame and pour this sugar mixture in the greased baking pan. This gives a caramalisation effect for this pitha poda. This also makes the cake so juicy unlike the normal cakes. Now add the chenna mixture and bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. After baking, leave the cheesecake in the oven until it cools down completely. Once it comes to room temperature, invert the cake upside down onto a plate and cut into slices. Enjoy with family on the auspicious occasion of Mahasivarathri.

Ingredients

Milk  2l

Sugar  1 cup

Sooji  3 tbsp.

Cardamom powder  1/4 tsp

Nuts  2 tsp

Ghee to roast sugar 1 tsp

Curd  4 tbsp.

Sugar   ( for caramelisation )  1 tsp

Method

1. Curdle milk with the addition of curd at its boiling point. 
2. Strain the curdled0 mixture to separate the whey. Do not throw the whey.
3. Take the chenna in a bowl and add sooji. Mix well until smooth. 
4. Now add sugar and continue mixing until the sugar is well dissolved. 
5. Add cardamom powder and nuts and mix. Keep aside. 
6. Heat ghee in a pan and add sugar. Keep stirring until it dissolves. 
7. Immediately, pour it in the greased pan and add the chenna mixture on it. 
8. Bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
9. Let the cake cool completely in the oven. Remove on cooling and invert and slice the cake into pieces. 

Notes

• Adding roasted sugar to the baking pan gives a lovely caramelising to the ricotta cheesecake. So do not skip on this step. 
• The cake mixture should be smooth and like that of the normal cake mixture. Add little whey if your cake mixture is very thick.
• The original recipe calls for the addition of baking powder. But I did not feel the need of adding in my recipe. But if you wish, you can add 1/4 tsp of baking powder.

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paneer ki bhurji / paneer bhurji

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Paneer Bhurji / Paneer Bhurji Recipe

After all the sweet and snack recipes, I am back with another delicious curry or side dish - Paneer burji. This is a regular day to day dish which is very yummy and can be prepared in a jiffy. Paneer bhurji goes well as a side dish for roti, chapathi or even rice. I sometimes use this curry as a stuffing for a chapathi roll topped with finely chopped onions, tomato ketchup and a dash of lemon juice for my kids. They simply love it. 

I have used homemade paneer for the preparation of this burji. You can also use store bought paneer as per your convenience. The soft and crumbled paneer, crunchy onions, tangy tomatoes and the mild spices altogether bring out a unique flavor. This is a rich curry with mild spices. 

Recipes such as these can be twisted and tweaked to suit our tastes. We can play around with the spices that go into the dish. You can add in a variety of spices such as a pinch of chat masala powder, aamchoor powder, dried mint powder ( or fresh mint leaves ), kasuri methi ( dried fenugreek leaves ),.etc., . Always feel free to include any kind of spices in these dishes to get the flavour that our family requires. There is no such necessity to stick to the measurement given in the recipe below.

Preparation

Crumble the paneer with your hands and keep aside. Heat butter or ghee in a pan.

Throw in the mustard and cumin seeds.

Once they crackle, add the finely chopped garlic pieces.

When they discolour, add finely chopped onions and slit green chillies. 

Saute until the onions turn pink in colour. Now add the chopped tomato pieces and turmeric powder.

Mix well and add salt. Once the tomatoes turn mushy, add chilli powder and garam masala powder.

Mix it well. Add the crumbled paneer and mix gently.

Finish off with coriander leaves and check for seasoning.

Serve hot as a side dish for either chapathi, roti or rice.

Ingredients

Paneer  250g

Mustard seeds  1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Butter / Ghee 2 tbsp

Onion  1

Garlic  1 tbsp ( chopped )

Green chillies  2

Tomato  1

Salt  to taste

Turmeric powder  1/2 tsp

Chilli powder  1 tsp

Garam masala powder  1 tsp

Coriander leaves  to garnish

Method

1. Crumble paneer and keep aside.
2. Heat butter or ghee in a pan. 
3. Add mustard and cumin seeds. 
4. When they splutter, add garlic and cook until they turn into golden brown.
5. Now add the onions and green chillies. Saute until transparent.
6. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt and cook until they turn mushy. 
7. Add the garam masalapowder and chilli powders and mix well.
8. Now add the crumbled paneer and give a gentle mix. 
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathi, rice or roti.

Notes

• Add any kind of spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, chat masala, mint powder, kasuri methi powder, etc., to enhance the flavour.
• This curry can be used as a stuffing for chapathi roll for kids lunch box. Just top the curry with finely chopped onions, tomato ketchup and a dash of lemon juice. Mix it well and wrap it in the roll. 
• My mom includes ginger garlic paste instead of garlic pieces which makes it more masaledaar.
• Any kind of bell peppers ( red, yellow or green colours ) or capsicum can be added to give that extra crunchiness.
• Few spring onions gives a lovely aroma and a unique taste to it. 

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