Ting-Ting! Easy Sweet Dish Recipe of Kalakand from Laapataa Ladies

Laapataa Ladies is one movie from 2024 that was enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s Kiran Rao’s second directorial, which is set in rural India and follows the misadventures of two young brides, who get lost in a confusing train journey. The two end up swapping places, but this mix up does more good than harm for both of them. The comedy drama was initially released in theaters, and eventually on Netflix where it was one of the top watched Hindi movies. It’s no surprise because it’s a movie that takes complex topics through a lens of simplicity that is heart touching and memorable.

Although Hindi movies rarely use food as motifs to stir an emotion or further a story, there’s one dish that is a standout in Laapataa Ladies. Phool, who is stranded at a railway station, and is taken in by Manjula Mai, decides to help the tea shop owner out until her husband tracks her down. Her contribution in the tea shop is initially cooking some samosas, making tea, and washing used utensils, but eventually she decides to make some kalakand, which sells like hot cakes at the station. Eventually this dessert becomes a means for Phool to find purpose, beyond housework, beyond being just a wife. It also helped that Manju Mai is a strong female figure who makes her realise that a woman is relevant and complete even without the presence of a husband and a conventional family life.

If you haven’t watched the movie yet, we highly recommend it! And if you want to rewatch it, then why not recreate the kalakand, and munch on it while enjoying the movie once again?

Recipe for Kalakand

Ingredients:

• 392 to 400 g of condensed milk (a whole can)
• 250 g homemade paneer
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts (pistachios, walnuts, almonds)
• 1 tsp rose water
• Rose petals for garnish

Instructions:

• First make the homemade paneer or chhena by boiling about 6 cups of milk in a large pan, then add two tablespoons of lemon juice to it.
• Stir and continue to boil the milk till you see the solids separate from the liquid.
• Turn off the heat when you notice that the curdled solids and whey are completely separate.
• Transfer into a cheese cloth and pour a couple of cups of cold water over this to remove remnants of the lemon juice flavor.
• Squeeze as much excess water as you can from the cheese, then wrap the cloth, and hang it to release more liquid for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Grease a flat baking tray or a steel plate and then line it with parchment paper.
• Add all of the condensed milk from the tin to a heavy bottomed non-stick pan.
• Then add the freshly made paneer to it as well. Mix to combine.
• Then turn the flame to medium and keep stirring this mixture.
• It will look thin at first, but after contact with heat, it will begin to thicken slowly.
• When you’ve reached a thick consistency, which should take about 8 to 10 minutes, reduce the flame to low. Give it another mix and then take the pan off heat.
• The mixture shouldn’t be dry and crumbly.
• Then transfer into the greased tray, spread it evenly with a spatula.
• Sprinkle with chopped nuts and garnish with rose petals just like Phool did.