Dessert Desires: Mango Fudge

What to do when you have some ripening mangoes. I decided to try something new this time and started to look out for a recipe. I crossed my fingers that hopefully my search leads me to a recipe that goes straight into my recipe book as one of the all time favourites.

Also, while trying out a new recipe, Mom’s instructions on how to be careful with food and how not to waste food keep doing rounds in my mind. These instructions are very valid and I make sure to take them really seriously. I don’t know why I mention this amid the excitement of trying to cook something new, but probably the jitters of a new dessert making experiment and the thought that I might fail at it, lead me to keep revising this in my mind. 🙂

Okay, so I finally found and successfully made a dessert out of the over ripe mangoes. This actually turned out to be an extremely easy and interesting Indian sweet, the Mango Fudge (Read: Aam ka Kalakand).

Mango Fudge Set for Cutting into Desired Shape After Cooling

Time to confess, I am a big fan of Kalakands and milk cakes. And for me to have made some myself, with complete justice done to those ripening mangoes was like icing on the cake.

Aam ka Kalakand aka Mango Fudge

Here’s the recipe if you wish to try making this as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 ltr Milk
• 2 Cups Mango Pulp (without threads, so prefer to sieve the pulp before adding to the milk)
• 2 tbsps of Yoghurt
• 1 Cup Sugar (Alter quantity as per taste)
• ½ tsp Cardamon Powder
• Some Saffron Strands

For setting:

• Lightly greased deep plate/aluminium tin

For Garnish:

• Roasted/Unroasted Nuts (Almonds/Cashew/Pistachios)

Method:

• Boil milk in a thick based pan
• Add mango pulp and yoghurt
• Keep stirring gently and allow the milk to curdle
• Continue to stir and allow the liquid to evaporate and to avoid sticking at the base
• Once the liquid evaporates, add sugar and mix gently to allow the sugar to melt
• After the sugar has melted completely, you can see the dessert starts looking granular
• Add the cardamom powder and saffron strands for flavour
• Allow the mix to cool and transfer it in a slightly deep plate or tin
• Garnish with nuts. I used almonds
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the fudge to set completely
• Once set, cut the fudge into the desired shapes and serve

Handy Tips:

• If the milk doesn’t curdle even after adding the mentioned quantity of curd and mango, add 2 tbsp more of curd to facilitate curdling
• The step of making the liquid after curdling to evaporate completely takes the maximum amount of time (about 30-40 minutes), so be patient 🙂
• The granular look of the thickened milk after adding sugar is exactly what is desired for that perfect kalakand, ready to be taken off flame and set to cool

The sweet-tangy taste of the mango and the chewiness of the fudge makes it a drool worthy sweet/dessert.

Do try making this for your loved ones!

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