Step-by-Step Homemade Sweets for a Memorable Mother's Day

Moms are the ultimate givers when it comes to unconditional love, and for many of us, this comes in the form of food. Such is the invisibility of their service and warmth, they provide that it can be hard to measure. So, to give back to them, on this special day, we have some mithai recipes that are easy to make, especially at a time when life gets too busy to celebrate the little things. So here are two recipes of two sweets that will light up your mom’s face this Mother’s Day.

1. Khajoor ki Mithai

Ingredients

• 1 pound Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ½ tsp cardamom, freshly ground
• ¼ cup almonds, sliced
• ¼ cup pistachios, chopped
• ¼ cup cashews, chopped

Instructions

1. Take a saucepan, add the chopped dates, ghee and cardamom and heat over medium flame. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
2. After that bring down the flame to low and stir until it forms a paste, for about 5 more minutes.
3. Add the almond slices and cashews and stir to mix and then turn off the heat. Set aside to cool.
4. Add the ¼ cup of chopped pistachios and a tablespoon of the honey, mix well and set aside.
5. Check if you handle the dates mixture with your bare hands, if you can, roll it out between two sets of parchment paper.
6. Add the pistachio mix in a row over the top of the rolled-out date. Then start to roll using your fingers into a log.
7. The outside of the roll will be sticky, roll that in a dish filled with finely shredded coconut flakes. Then cover it up in plastic wrap.
8. Refrigerate it until firm, for about 2-4 hours.
9. Once the log is all firm, cut into slices and serve.

2. Kalakand

Ingredients

• 1 tin condensed milk (400 grams)
• 6 cups full-fat milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts (pistas, cashews or almonds)
• 1tsp rose water, optional

Instructions

1. Pour the milk into a pot and bring it to a boil, then add the lemon juice.
2. Stir the milk until it begins to curdle, turn off the heat when whey and milk solids have separated completely.
3. Pour 2 cups of cold water immediately into the pot. Then drain this concoction through a porous cheese cloth fixed well over a colander.
4. Make sure to hold the cheese cloth carefully under running water and rinse the chenna well to get rid of the aicidic lemon flavor.
5. Pull the edges of the cheese cloth together and give it a firm squeeze, to drain off all the excess whey from the cheese. Hang the cheese in the cloth for 10-20 minutes.
6. As the cheese gets ready for turning into kalakand, grease a small tray with ghee, then stick a parchment paper on it. Set aside.
7. Take a heavy-bottom non-stick pan and pour the condensed milk and add the freshly made paneer.
8. Mix them well and cook it on medium flame, stirring continuously, the mixture will thin down initially and then slowly begin to thicken. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens.
9. Reduce the flame to low and keep cooking; while continuously stirring until its thick, it takes close to 10 minutes. You need the mixture to be moist, so don’t overcook it.
10. Once the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan, transfer the kalakand immediately to the greased tray.
11. Spread the mithai on the plate to about ½ to ¾ inch thickness. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the mithai, and level with a spatula.
12. Then pop the kalakand into the fridge, for at least 2 hours, for it to set into a soft set crumbly texture.
13. Use a thin knife to cut the mithai into your desired shapes and sizes. Then refrigerate until ready to serve or keep it at room temperature if you want your mithai softer.
14. Remove the kalakand from the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving. Kalakand is best served warm, or chilled but the mouthfeel won't be good if it is too stiff because of the cold.