Fixing Crumbly Kalakand: Troubleshooting Texture Issues

Paneer is used in many Indian desserts as the base because of its creamy texture and smoothness. From sandesh to rasgulla, ramalai, chenna poda, and more, paneer is widely used in sweet treats and is beloved for its milky essence. The milky and creamy base of paneer is a perfect backdrop for flavor and shape variations that allows you to transform it into a delightful treat. Every bite you take out of a paneer based dessert melts in the mouth and leaves you wandering in the heaven of flavors. The best thing about paneer is that it can be cooked with any ingredient and brings a caramelized roasty flavor that exudes a delightful aroma to draw you in. Out of all the desserts you can prepare with paneer, the best and most delightful dessert must be kalakand.

Kalakand and Its Versatility

Kalakand is a sophisticated and the most satisfying dessert you can make with the use of paneer. It is made by crumbling the soft, fresh paneer and cooking it with condensed milk, cream, and a little bit of ghee. Kalakand is a very simple recipe that calls for flavor variations. Its simple backdrop makes it perfect to blend with many other ingredients to create a tantalizing recipe and allows you to serve one dessert in many forms. Although, despite being a simple dessert, kalakand comes with its own set of challenges that can make it tricky to achieve the smooth and satisfying texture like you might get in sweet shops.

Importance of Texture in Kalakand

In order to achieve the perfect texture of kalakand, you need to make the base smoother and creamier. However, mishaps can happen and by mistake you can overcook, mix ingredients improperly and end up with a hard and grainy kalakand that might get wasted. Therefore, this article brings you a few tips and tricks that help in fixing crumbly texture and achieve a restaurant-style kalakand at home.

Here is how you can fix the crumbly texture of your homemade kalakand with simple troubleshooting tips that will help you make a perfect recipe every time you want:

Problem 1: Overcooking the Mixture

Kalakand can become too crumbly or dry for many reasons. Some common reasons include overcooking. Overcooking paneer can make the mixture dry and crumbly, which is not very pleasant when you take a bite. Ideally, a kalakand should be soft, fudgy, and moist with a few creamy crumbs that melt in the mouth. If you cook paneer and condensed milk mixture for too long, it can cause the mixture to become dry as the moisture will evaporate and the texture will become hard and crumbly. To avoid this, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm milk or some cream and gently reheat the mixture on low flame while stirring until it turns soft.

Problem 2: Low Moisture in Paneer

When paneer has a low amount of moisture then it can lead to grainy or crumbly texture. This happens commonly when you use store-bought paneer which is not usually fresh. To fix this problem, soften the paneer by soaking it in warm milk for 10 minutes, then crumble it to use in kalakand. Or you can also try using homemade paneer for better flavor and freshness.

Problem 3: Not Enough Condensed Milk or Sweetener

When you add too little condensed milk, it doesn't work like an adequate binder to keep kalakand together. For a rich texture, mix in more condensed milk 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, warm the mixture slightly and stir well to rehydrate the mixture. If your mixture turns dry during cooking, this trick will help a lot.

Problem 4: Cooking on High Heat

Cooking on high heat can cause uneven heating and evaporation of the moisture that makes the mixture seize or separate. To fix this, you always need to cook on low to medium heat with constant stirring. If the mixture gas turned grainy, add a few spoonfuls of warm milk and a teaspoon of ghee. Then stir this well and allow the mixture to smoothen out.

Bonus Tips to make Smooth Kalakand:

• Grease the kalakand tray well before pouring the mixture to set. Press the mixture firmly while setting to avoid breaking in the future.
• Use a sieve or a food processor to smoothen the grainy texture of paneer before cooking it to make the base more creamy.
• To gain extra richness and binding, add a spoonful of milk powder or khoya during cooking. This helps in making kalakand creamy and wholesome.