Nolen Gurer Kalakand-- Celebrating 200th Post!!

Yayy!! 200 it is! I can't believe I have come this far. The girl who, at one point in time, never even entered the kitchen to make herself some tea is now an avid food blogger and is today celebrating her 200th post. Unbelievable, but true! You never know what future holds for you so simply enjoy your present and take life as it comes. I have always lived in my present without ever bothering about what is going to happen in the future or how better I could have done in my past. I was never too keen on cooking or to know about what goes on in the kitchen until my marriage. I believe Life is your best teacher and circumstances make you learn your toughest lessons. Life is too short to think of all these complexities and so today's post is dedicated to my this simple philosophy of life. It is an unbelievably simple two-ingredient recipe for one of the most loved Indian sweet, the Kalakand. As with all my recent recipes, here is a healthy twist as well. The kalakand is made from jaggery instead of sugar which makes it even more desirable and appealing to all the weight watchers like me as well as for people who have sugar restrictions. So indulge in this festive season starting today with Raksha Bandhan and show your love to your dear ones in a healthy way! Happy Raksha Bandhan!

Ingredients

1 cup (approx 170 gms) homemade paneer/chenna (procedure included for 1 ltr full cream milk)

5 tbsp grated Nolen Gur (you can use any other soft jaggery available with you, though nolen gur is recommended)

1 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 tbsp ghee for greasing

Procedure for homemade paneer

Boil 1 ltr full cream milk and curdle it with 1 tbsp vinegar or 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or 3 tbsp curd. Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes without disturbing. Strain the liquid and hold the chenna in a muslin cloth. Lightly wash the chenna with drinking water to do away with the smell of vinegar or lemon. Now tightly tie the muslin cloth and let the water drain out completely for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Take the chenna out of the cloth once the liquid drains out completely. Use as required. 

Direction

Take the chenna or paneer and jaggery and mix well with your hands till the mixture is well blended and the chenna is completely crumbled and grainy. Transfer this to a non stick pan on medium flame and keep stirring continuously till the moisture evaporates completely and the mixture starts coming out from the sides. Now add the cardamom powder and stir for 5 more minutes. 

Grease a serving plate with ghee and transfer the mixture onto the plate. With the help of a knife or spatula, smoothen out the mixture to form a square shape of 1/2" thickness. Cut the square into equal sized smaller squares without pulling them apart. This is just to make the marks for easier serving later on. Garnish each small square with chopped pistachios and let it cool. 

Chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let it set completely. Serve cold or at room temperature. I love to eat it cold!