Satiate Your Taste Buds – With Microwave Kalakand

It’s always good to be home after a stint of staying at hotels (or inns as they prefer to call it here) where food becomes synonymous with To-Go and drink is always dispensed from the vending machines.

On my return home this time, therefore, the first thing I did was peering through my refrigerator ignoring my husband’s raised eyebrows. I was going to make something. I absolutely had to. And given that we were going to a Ganesh Chaturthi party later that afternoon, I decided it had to be something sweet.
Now, even though I have learnt to appreciate, on quite a few occasions, that there’s nothing quite like Ghar-ka-khana, I tend to get lazy when I calculate the effort. So in my two steps forward and one step backward dilemma of whether or not to undertake the hassle of actually preparing my favorite dishes at home, I am always on the lookout for the easy alternatives for the traditional recipes.
And so I have found this one: Microwave Kalakand. One of my favorite sweets of all time. Even though it took my grandma hours to make it at home, this perfect alternative takes just 20 minutes. It was super easy on my travel tired nerves and my starved taste-buds were satiated. And most importantly, people at the party loved it.
What you need: 1) Ricotta Cheese 2) Sweetened Condensed milk 3) Few cardamoms (crushed) 4) Few strands of saffron (optional) 5) Your favourite dry fruits (crushed) – I used pistachio
 How you do it: 1) In a microwave safe flat bottom dish, combine equal amount of Ricotta Cheese and condensed milk until smooth, without any lumps. Add the crushed cardamoms and mix well. 2) Microwave uncovered, on for 3-5 minutes. Keep peering through the door, the mix should not spill over 3)   Take out and stir well. 4)   Put it back in the microwave and cook for 2 more minutes. 5)   Mix well again, scrapping the sides 6)   Keep repeating step 4 and 5. Remember taking a mixing break every 2 minutes is very important 7)  The final consistency should be thick, creamy but granular. The mixture should not be runny, yet should retain its moisture 8)   Transfer into a rectangular dish, and press down 9)   Sprinkle crushed pistachios on top, and chill for one hour 10) Ta..da. The Kalakand is ready. Cut into squares and serve.
Do try and let me know how it turned out. If I, being me, can do it, you can too. It’s very easy. Writing about it took me more time than making it. Tip: Ricotta Cheese can also be substituted with Cottage Cheese and Sugar. Also half and half milk can be thickened on an oven top if you have time and patience.  Love,

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