Quick Rose Kalakand

A slate board with a dozen pieces of rose kalakand topped with pistachios and fennel seeds.

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5 from 1 vote

A delicious and chic Indian sweet; Rose Kalakand is easy to make with ricotta cheese and four other ingredients.

This decadent sweet comes together in under 30 minutes of active time and makes a perfect addition to any festive menu.

Prep Time0

Cook Time20

Cooling Time1

Total Time20

Course: Sweets

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 89kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

15 oz full fat ricotta cheese
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon ghee
1½ teaspoon rose syrup
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3-4 tablespoon pistachios (slivered)
2 teaspoon dried rose petals (optional)
2 teaspoon colored fennel (optional)
1 leaf silver varakh (optional)

Instructions

In a thick bottom pan add the ricotta cheese and condensed milk.
15 oz full fat ricotta cheese, 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
Cook on medium flame, stirring intermittently.
The mixture tends to be thin at first, but on cooking the mix starts to thicken. Keeping stirring so it does not settle to the bottom.
Once the mix starts to thicken, add the ground cardamom powder and rose syrup.
1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1½ teaspoon rose syrup
Mix well and cook on medium flame till it starts to thicken further.
Once the mix is thick (in about 12-15 minutes), add ghee.
1 teaspoon ghee
Mix well till the mixture is glossy. Then transfer to a 9x9 inch square pan lined with parchment paper.
Spread it out evenly. Press down with a spatula or fingers.
Sprinkle pistachios and colored fennel on top.
3-4 tablespoon pistachios, 2 teaspoon colored fennel
Lightly press them down. Refrigerate the kalakand for 2-3 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and spread the remaining toppings (if using).
2 teaspoon dried rose petals, 1 leaf silver varakh
Using a sharp knife cut into cubes or diamonds.
Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container.
Enjoy cold or at room temperature.

Video

Notes

Using Paneer: If you cannot find ricotta cheese, simply replace with same amount of finely grated paneer. The recipe will work just as well with it.

Other Flavors: While I added rose to the recipe, it is easy to flavor it with just cardamom. Moreover, using saffron, paan, chocolate or even mango works well.

Rose Petals: We use dried rose petals to top the kalakand. However, ensure the ones you get are edible. There are some dark pink ones that are only recommended for puja and not for consumption.

Using a thick pan: Kalakand is best to make in a thick non-stick pan. The ricotta cheese tends to stick to the base so use the right pan. Thin pan will brown the condensed milk and ricotta mixture and burn in no time.

Adding Coconut: Add some shredded coconut to make this into rose coconut kalakand; another delicious Indian sweet.

Storage: Kalakand needs to be kept in the refrigerator. Consume in 5-6 days. It tends to turn sour after that.

Over cooking the mix: We only want to cook everything till it is thick. Overcooking the mixture will make it chewy and fudgy texture; just like peda. So only cook till it is thick and let it cool on the parchment lined tray.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition