Kalakand

Serves: to serve 6

Prep Time: 45 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

4¼ pints - milk

½ teaspoon - lemon juice

4 fl oz - water

5 oz - sugar

  - chopped nuts (to decorate)

Directions

1. Heat half the milk (1¾ pints - 1 litre) in a pan and bring it to a gentle boil over a medium heat. Remove from the heat, stir the lemon juice into 4 fl oz (120ml) of water and add to the milk then stir slowly and gently until white curd forms on the surface and separates from whey.
2. Use a white muslin cloth to strain the milk. The solid remaining in the cloth (the curds) is called "chenna" (cottage cheese). Wash this cheese well under cold running water, then twist the cloth that was used for straining to extract as much water as possible.
3. Pour the remaining milk (1¾ pints - 1 litre) into a heavy pan and boil to reduce to half its volume (be sure to stir regularly since the milk can easily burn on the bottom of the pan). Add the chenna (cottage cheese) and continue to boil until the mixture thickens. Stir continuously for between 8 and 15 minutes until the mixture becomes like a soft dough, then stir in the sugar and continue to cook (stirring all the time) until the 'dough' stiffens into a soft lump that starts to separate from the sides of the pan.
4. Grease a plate with ghee (clarified butter or drawn butter) and spread the mixture to a depth of about ½" (1cm). Chill in the fridge for at least one hour, then cut into squares and garnish with chopped nuts. Serve as a dessert or just as a between-meal snack (if your waistline can handle it!).