Kalakand of Jhumri Telaiya - History and Recipe

Whenever i visit any metropolitan city and meet new people, i never forget to mention "Jhumri Telaiya" as my home town. Till now, what i have observed is, very few people know about the city. Those who know at least the name say that, It's atcually the bollywood movies and songs where they have listened this name. That's really a sad part because Jhumri Telaiya once had a much better reputation and was much popular than what it is now.



First of all, large number of song requests from the city on Vividh Bharti popularized the name "Jhumri Telaiya" among people. Now people don't listen Radio much because they have so many options.This small jharkhand town was also the place from where India exported most of its mica(This mineral is used in the construction of Defence Equipments and spaceships). But, the mineral lost its importance after the discovery of cheaper synthetic substitutes and the collapse of USSR which was its biggest importer. Jhumri Telaiya, however, has still managed to retain its uniqueness through its sweet named "Kalakand". This particular sweet has given Jhumri Telaiya a new Identity.

Kesaria Kalakand

Kalakand

Kalakand is said to have originated from Rajasthan in late 1940s. Now the question arises: How it came to Telaiya then? According to the records, in the late 50s, "Bhati Brothers from pakistan came to Jhumri Telaiya after partition" and started selling the creamy version of "Kalakand". It rocked it the market. With the passage of time, the demand of Kalakand soared high which made Jhumri Telaiya a gastronomical destination for people.



Now almost every sweet shop in jhumri telaiya sells kalakand but the best shops for this sweet are: (1) Kanhaiya Sweets and (2) Anand Vihar.



As you all know, i spend most of my time in New Delhi and hardly get 2 months in a year to live in Jhumri Telaiya and taste the delicious "Kalakand" so i tried to know, how to make the kalakand. The recipe is:

Ingredients: 

• Milk: 1.5 kg 
• Sugar: 100g 
• Kesar (saffron): A few strands 
• Vinegar: 2 tablespoons 
• Dry fruits: For garnish

How to Prepare "Kalakand"?

• First of all, Boil the milk in a saucepan adding sugar and kesar.
• When it reduces to almost half, set aside 150 ml of the Sweetened milk
• Now, it's the time to add vinegar to the boiling Milk. Once done, stire it slowly for few minutes.
• Cover the saucepan and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
• Wait for the milk and whey to separate completely. Once done, drain out the whey.