Milk Powder Burfi, a delicious and easy to make burfi within 15 mins. It's one of my favourite sweets and I often make them for various occasions as it comes together so quickly. 

If you're looking for any last minute sweets to make for this Diwali, then definitely give this a try. It's such a foolproof recipe and even the beginners can make this sweet without any difficulties.

Milk Powder 

I have used the full fat milk powder for this burfi and i got mine from the "Bulk Barn" store here in Canada. Make sure to use the full fat milk powder. 

In the past, i had tried it with low fat milk powder and the result was very disappointing and the burfi turned out so chewy which i don't like.  

Milk 

Again, i have used full fat milk for the richness. But you can use 2% milk as well. But i don't recommend using non-fat milk. 

Lemon Juice

I have used a little bit of lemon juice in this recipe. It gives such a grainy texture to the burfi. If you don't prefer that, then feel free to skip it. 

Nowadays, life seems so busy as the kiddo starts school. Adjusting to the new routine is a little bit hard for me too. Every day the moment i drop him at the school, i start to think of the time when i will pick him :-)

Though i'm not very active in blogging now, somehow, i managed to post three recipes for this Diwali. If you have tried any recipes from my blog for this Diwali, do share your feedback.

Wishing you all a very happy Deepavali / Diwali.

Milk Powder Burfi | Plain Burfi Recipe

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Yields : 12 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Milk Powder Burfi, Milk Burfi, Milk Peda Milk Powder Burfi, a delicious and easy to make burfi within 15 mins.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Milk Powder(full fat) - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Butter - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp(optional)

Cardamom  powder- 1/2 tsp

Saffron - a few strands

Procedure

First in a non-stick pan, add the butter, milk and the sugar.

Then turn the heat on and let the milk come to a boil.

Next add the milk powder and mix it with the milk mixture using whisk(it helps to break the lumps in case there are any lumps).

Once the milk powder mixes with all other ingredients well, let it cook in a low-medium flame. At this time add the lemon juice and cook till the mixture thickens.It takes about 8-12 mins.

Next add the cardamom powder and saffron to the burfi. Mix it well. Switch off the flame and transfer to a tray.

Smooth out the top with a spoon and add a few strands of saffron on top(optional). Let it cool completely and then cut into desired pieces.

That's it. Delicious Milk Powder Burfi is ready.

Related: How to make Milk Cake

Notes:

• Cardamom powder is optional

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Kalakand , a rich and delectable Indian milk cake made with milk and flavored with cardamom. It's one of the popular milk based sweets from North India. South Indian sweet palkova is something similar to this kalakand.

I came to know about this sweet years ago through blogging. Even though i have been making this sweet for a while now, i was waiting for an occasion to share this sweet recipe on the blog. What would be a better occasion than Diwali for making sweets, right? So here i'm with this yummy sweet recipe !

Milk 

Milk is the prime ingredient in this sweet. So use the full fat whole milk for this recipe for better flavor and taste. Don't use the skimmed milk or non-fat milk in this recipe, it doesn't taste  the same. 

Condensed Milk 

Adding condensed milk enhances the richness of the sweet. However you can use the regular white sugar too in this recipe. In the past, i made this recipe with sugar and it tasted good too.

I have used 3/4 cup of condensed milk for this recipe. It has moderate sweetness. If you like more sweetness in general, you can use up to 1 cup of condensed milk. 

Start with 3/4 cup of condensed milk, once the kalakand reaches thick consistency, do a taste test and if it need more sweetness then add more condensed milk at that time and cook it for a couple of more mins. 

Adding condensed milk at the final stage of the sweet wouldn't affect the taste or texture.

Flavoring Agent

I have used only the cardamom powder in this recipe. Rose water / Rose essence is the other common flavoring agent used in Kalakand. So you can use whatever flavor you like or combination of both too.  

Garnish the Kalakand

I have used only the chopped pistachios for garnishing. Chopped almonds , edible silver leaf are also great options for garnishing the kalakand.

Tips for beginners 

• Stir often while cooking the kalakand so that it doesn't get stuck to the bottom. It it sticks to the bottom, there is a high chance of burning at the bottom. Even the slightest burning would ruin the whole dish.
• Highly recommend using a non-stick or heavy bottom pan for making this sweet.

Now let's check out how to make this delectable kalakand !

Kalakand Recipe | Indian Milk Cake

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Yields : 12 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Kalakand, Paneer Kalakand,Milk Cake, Kalakand , a rich and delectable Indian milk cake made with milk and flavored with cardamom.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Milk - 6 cups

Condensed Milk - 3/4 to 1 cup

Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

Chopped pistachio - 1 tbsp

Procedure

First let's make fresh paneer. Heat 4 cups of milk in a sauce and bring it to boil. Once it starts to boil, keep the flame  low and add the lemon juice little by little.

Stir the milk continuously. Once all the milk curdles, switch off the flame. Place a cheese cloth on to the strainer and pour the curdled milk. Rinse the paneer in the running water well so that the lemon tartness will be removed. 

Squeeze the water from the paneer well and keep it aside.In a non-stick / thick bottomed pan, add the remaining 2 cups of milk and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, add the condensed milk(I used only 3/4 cup of condensed milk and it has mild sweetness, for sweeter version, use 1 cup of condensed milk)

And the prepared paneer. Mix it all well together.

Stir the milk mixture now and then. Cook the mixture till it thickens and is able to scoop it on the ladle(it takes approximately 15-20 mins in medium flame). Then add the ghee and cardamom powder.

Mix it all well together and when the mixture starts to leave the pan, switch off the flame. (The last pic in the below collage in for your reference on how the mixture looks on the day light)

Pour the mixture on to the ghee greased pan and level the top with a ghee coated spoon/any small bowl. Finally garnish the top with chopped pistachios and let it cool for 2-3 hrs. Then slice and enjoy!

                        My little one is helping me with garnishing :-)

Delicious Kalakand is ready ! 

Related: How to make Kaju Katli 

Notes:

• Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for longer life
• It stays well for upto 7 days in the refrigerator.
• Tastes great when it's fresh.

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Milk Cake using Condensed Milk| Milk Burfi

Milk Cake/ Milk Burfi, a delicious sweet made from the milk ! Traditionally, this milk cake is made from the pure cow milk and it takes hours to reduce the milk into desired consistency.

Here in today's recipe, i have taken the shortcut and used the condensed milk to speed up the process without compromising in taste and texture. 

For this diwali, if you're looking for exotic milk sweet to make with less time, then i would highly recommend to try this milk cake with condensed milk.

Tips to make perfect milk cake

• Make sure to keep the flame in medium once the milk mixture starts to boil. 
• Stir it continuously to avoid burning at the bottom. Even the slightest burning at the bottom spoils the whole mixture.
• Add the curd on the needed basis because depends on the sourness of the curd you may need more or less. If the milk is started to curdle then stop adding the curd.
• Cook the mixture till it leaves the sides of the pan and immediately pour into the greased pan. Cooking after this stage makes chewy milk cake
• Make sure to cover the pan with thick cloth and leave it aside for at least 3 hrs. It helps to set the cake and able to cut it when it's cooled.

Hope i have shared all the tips to make the perfect and delicious milk cake ! If you have any questions, do leave a comment, i try my best to answer your queries ! 

Now let's check out on how to make this delicious milk cake !

Related:How to make Khoya Burfi / Mawa Burfi

Happy Tamil new year to all those who celebrate!

Milk Cake using Condensed milk

Preparation Time : 5 min | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 4 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Milk Cake using condensed milk, milk cake,milk burfi,indian sweet,burfi recipe Milk Cake/ Milk Burfi, a quick and easy way to make delicious milk cake using condensed milk.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Milk - 1 cup 

Condensed Milk - 1 small tin(14 oz)

Curd - 2 to 3 tbsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedure

In a non-stick pan, add both milk and condensed milk. 

Switch on the flame and keep stirring continuously until both mix together well. Bring the milk mixture into boil in medium flame.

Once it starts to boil, add curd little by little and mix it well.

When the milk mixture starts to curdle and look grainy, stop adding the curd. Now start adding the ghee little by little. Mix it well.

When all the ghee is absorbed add more ghee. Do this till all the ghee is used. 

Cook till the mixture is thick and leaves the sides of the pan(Some of the readers who have tried the recipe told me that it's too sweet for their taste. Yes, it's so sweet because of the condensed milk. Give a taste test(be aware it's extremely hot) when the mixture is thick. If it's too sweet for you , add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of unsweetened khoya at this stage and cook it for a few more mins ). Finally add the cardamom powder, mix it well and switch off the flame.

Grease any bowl with enough depth or loaf/baking pan with little ghee. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top surface.

Cover the top with foil paper and then wrap the tin with thick towel. Let it undisturbed for 2- 3 hrs or until it's cooled completely. 

After it cooled down, unwrap and remove the foil paper from the baking pan and invert on to a plate. Gently tap on the pan, the milk cake would fall off from the pan easily.  Then cut into desired shape and serve.

Tasty Milk Cake is ready ! 

Related : How to make 5 mins palkova in microwave using condensed milk

Notes: 

• Store the leftovers in refrigerator since it's milk based
• You can skip the cardamom and leave it with milk flavor too.
  

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Khoya Burfi | Mawa Burfi | Easy Indian Sweets

Khoya Burfi, a classic North Indian sweet which is mainly made for festive occasions.It's delicious, perfect to make at the last minutes with just a couple of ingredients. I tried these khoya burfi a couple of times before and every SINGLE time it turned out so delicious and rich. If you're looking for some easy milk based sweet to make for any special occasions, I would recommend to give a try on these burfis. 

Though i have made these burfis in large quantities, today i'm sharing the recipe for very small quantity just enough for 2 to 3 people serving.  But you can easily double or triple the recipe as you like. 

Related : How to make Gajar Ka Halwa / Carrot Halwa

Before moving on to the recipe, let's check out some basic FAQs

Is the store bought khoya good for this recipe?

Yes, absolutely ! I tried both store bought and homemade for this burfi. Both turned out perfectly fine.

Why are my burfis chewy?

The burfis might turn chewy because of over cooking. So switch off the flame once it all comes together.

Happy New year to all. Wish you all a happy and healthy new year ahead !

Related : How to make Double Decker Milk Burfi

Khoya Burfi | Mawa Burfi

Preparation Time : 2 mins | Cooking Time : 10 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Milk sweet, Burfi, Mawa Burfi, Khoya burfi, Indian sweet Khoya Burfi, a classic North Indian sweet which is mainly made for festive occasions.It's delicious, perfect to make at the last minutes with just a couple of ingredients.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients
Khoya -1/2 cup
Powdered Sugar - 3 tbsp
Rose essence - few drops
Pistachios & silvered almonds - 1 tbsp 
Ghee - 1/2 tsp

Procedure

Heat the pan with ghee, crumble the khoya and add into it. Saute it in ghee for 2 mins.Then add the powdered sugar & rose essence.Add the half of the nuts and mix it a good. Remove from the heat when it's all come together and pour into the tray and level the top.Add the remaining nuts on the top and let it cool completely. Slice and serve.Yummy Khoya Burfi is ready. For more sweet recipes, you can check out my collections 

Related: How to make maida burfi/Halkova

Related : How to make Badam Katli

Notes:

• Keep the flame in low for entire cooking. Otherwise the khoya will be burnt easily.
• For quick settings, keep the burfi in refrigerator for 20-30 mins.
  
  

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Homemade Rasmalai | Bengali Sweet | Deepavali Sweet

Rasmalai, a delicious indian sweet/dessert made from the indian cottage cheese soaked in thickened & flavored milk(Rabri). 

Rasmalai is ST's favorite sweet, when we were in Bangalore, he bought it often from the little sweet stall on the way back to home from the office. The taste of that rasmalai was heaven, literally melt in mouth and the rabri was so flavorful with lots of nuts and saffron. 

To this day, i never seen him buying any other sweets on his own except rasmalai, that really motivates me to try my hands on this delicious bengali sweet. After a few attempts, i nailed the recipe, it turned out as delicious as i would expected and even ST gives a big thumbs up for every time i make. 

Now this has became one of the our favourite sweets to make at home for every special occasion. 

Rasmalai can be very easily made from the rasgolla, have heard from friends that even haldiram's rasgolla is best for making rasmalai, but i haven't tried it so far, always make my own rasgolla.

If you make everything from the start to finish on one day, you make find it tiresome, so i always make the rasgolla on the first day and let it soak in syrup for atleast a day in the refrigerator and then the next day, i will make the rasmalai. So if you have plan to make them from the scratch, that tip might be helpful. 

Homemade Rasmalai | Begali Sweet | Deepavali Sweet

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Rasmalai, Rasmalai Recipe, Homemade Rasmalai,Bengali Sweet Rasmalai, a delicious indian sweet/dessert made from the indian cottage cheese soaked in thickened and flavored milk(Rabri)

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients
Rasgulla - 15 small
Milk - 2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Saffron - few strands
Pistachio - 10
Cardamom powder - a pinch 

Procedure

First take the rasgulla squeeze out the syrup gently and place it on the plate. For the rabri, take the milk in a pan and bring to boil.

In the mean time, soak the saffron in a tbsp of warm milk for few mins. Once the milk comes to boil,reduce the flame to low and add the sugar.

Next add the saffron along withe soaked milk, let the milk boil in low flame for 5-7 mins or until it reduces to about 1/2.

Switch off the flame and add the rasgulla immediately. Finally add the roughly chopped pistachios, let it come to room temperature, then transfer into the bowl and refrigerate for 2-3 hrs before serving.

Tasty Rasmalai is ready. Serve chilled for the best taste ! 

Related : How to make Mawa/Khoya Burfi

Notes:

• Depends on the size of rasmalai and how much rabri you like to have along with rasmalai, you may need more or less of rabri. 
• Rasmalai tastes best on next day, give it a good soaking time for best taste.
• Add good quality of saffron, the saffron flavor makes the all difference.  
  

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