Kalakand

Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4 People

Chef: Aanchal Gupta contributor BetterButter

Ingredients

• 3 cups Full Fat Milk Powder-I used Nido Brand
• 1 can Condensed Milk, 14 ounces
• 300 millilitre Heavy Whipping Cream
• Crushed Green Cardamom Seeds
• Rose Water for Dabbing on Top(optional)
• Saffron, Chopped Almonds, and Pistachios for Garnishing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          How to make

• Take a microwave safe, rectangular glass dish and put the milk powder in it.
• Empty the condensed milk and heavy whipping cream on top. Sprinkle the cardamom powder and saffron on top and mix everything well.
• Microwave on high, for 3 minutes.
• Take out from microwave, stir and break lumps and put it back for another 3 minutes (Be very careful, it might Boil over. Watch the microwave, if it looks like it might boil over, stop, pause, and continue cooking)
• Take out dish again, stir lumps and put back in the microwave for another 2 minutes.
• At this point, it should be pretty much done, depending on microwave. If you need to, stir again and do another 1 minute.
• So 3 minutes-Stir-3 minutes-stir-2 minutes that should be the timeline. If need to, do another minute, if still needed, do another minute.
• Put wax paper on top and take a flat bowl to smoothen top, if needed.
• Apply Rosewater on top, let it rest for 5-10 minutes and cut into pieces.
• Decorate with chopped nuts and additional saffron.

Moong Dal Halwa

Cook Time: 30 Min

Serves: 4 People

Chef: Mita Shah contributor BetterButter

Ingredients:-

• 1 cup moong dal ( yellow)
• 1cup ghee
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp elaichi (cardamom)powder
• 1 tbsp crushed nuts
• 2 tbsp saffron soaked milk

How to make:

• Take a pan, heat it and roast dry moong dal.
• Let it cool.
• In a mixie, powder the dal.
• Take a pan, heat ghee add dry roast moong dal powder.
• Saute till light brown in colour.
• Add 1 cup water, mix it.
• Absorb the water then add 2 cups milk.
• Mix continuously.
• Add sugar and cook till ghee comes out.
• Add saffron milk, elaichi powder, and crushed nuts.
• Instant Moong dal halwa is ready.
• Garnish with nuts. Serve.

Dhoda Barfi

Cook Time: 40 Min

Serves: 8 People

Chef: Sapna Behl contributor BetterButter

Ingredients:

• 1 litre full whole milk
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped + more for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter
• 2 tablespoon cracked wheat

How to make:

• Heat ghee in a pan and add cracked wheat. Roast it until light brown in colour. Set aside. In a heavy bottom, pan add milk and let it boil.
• Once boiled turn the heat on medium and start cooking it, stirring occasionally. Add sugar and milk cream and cook, stirring for 10-15 minutes or until it starts thickening. Once the milk thickens add the roasted cracked wheat and cook.
• Now add chopped almonds, cashew, pistachios, and walnut. Cook with continuous stirring. Add cocoa powder and cook until the mixture is thick enough and starts leaving the sides of the pan.
• Transfer the mixture into the greased pan. Sprinkle some chopped pistachios. Flatten the mixture with back of spoon. Let it set for 10 minutes.
• Make cut marks of desired shape. Cool and cut into pieces. Store in airtight container.

Gulab Jamun

Cook Time: 30 Min

Serves: 4 People

Chef: Balachandrika Kandaswamy contributor BetterButter

Ingredients

• Crumbled khoya / Khoa – 1 cup
• All purpose flour (maida) – 3.5 tablespoons
• baking soda – 1/8 tsp
• sugar – 1.5 cups
• water – 1.5 cups
• cardamom / elachi – 1 (optional)
• rose essence – 1 drop (optional)
• oil – for deep frying

How to make

• If you have kept the khoa (concentrated milk solids) in the refrigerator or freezer, bring it to room temperature and crumble it.
• In a bowl, add 1 cup of crumbled khoa, all purpose flour and baking soda, mix well.
• Add little bit of water and form it to a smooth dough without any lumps.
• If the dough becomes too sticky, then you can add ghee to make it to smooth.
• If the dough is too dry and have cracks, then you can sprinkle some water and make it smooth.
• Keep the dough aside for 5 minutes and then make 16 equal sized balls without any cracks. You do not have to press the dough very hard to get crack less balls, if the dough is in the right consistency, then you won’t get any cracks.
• If you get more cracks in the balls or if it breaks, then knead the dough again by sprinkling little bit of water or milk and then make equal sized balls
• Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup. Add 1.5 cups of sugar and 1.5 cups of water in a bowl and boil it for 8 -10 minutes on a medium flame. Do not stir the syrup in between. Just boil it for 10 minutes.
• You can add cardamom to the syrup now. I personally don’t like cardamom flavour in Gulab Jamun so I didn’t add any. Adding cardamom is purely optional.
• You can also add a drop of rose essence to the syrup for an added flavour. Again this step is also optional.
• Heat oil for deep frying. Don’t heat the oil too much because the Jamun will get fried fast and the inner part won’t get cooked properly. Just heat it enough to fry the Jamuns.
• On a medium flame, fry the Jamuns in batches and turn it often for even cooking on all sides.
• Fry the Jamun till it become nice dark golden brown in colour.
• Drain the excess oil on paper towel and add it to the syrup immediately.
• Let the Jamun get soaked in the syrup for at least 3 hours or you can even keep it overnight.
• Enjoy making this delicious dessert recipe.