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Kunda
Caramelised milk sweet
ಕುಂದಾ: Belagavi's dark, grainy milk sweet of slowly caramelised khoa
Kunda is the pride of Belagavi, where sweet shops near the old market have made it for over a century, and boxes go to weddings and Diwali visits across north Karnataka and Goa. Milk is reduced with a little curd so it turns grainy, then cooked with sugar that has been partly caramelised, ending as a soft, crumbly, toffee-brown sweet that tastes of burnt milk and cardamom. A common mistake is caramelising all the sugar; only a third should be darkened, or the kunda turns bitter instead of rich. Chef's tip: use full-fat milk and a wide heavy pan, and scrape the browned bits from the sides back in; they carry most of the flavour.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 8 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt (curd)
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp ghee
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 8 ¼ cups full-fat milk to a boil in a wide heavy pan, then keep it at a lively simmer, stirring every few minutes and scraping the sides, until reduced by half, about 35 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Stir in 3 tbsp plain yogurt (curd); the milk will turn grainy. Keep cooking and stirring until it thickens to a soft, lumpy khoa that just holds a trail, 25–30 minutes.
28 minStep 3: Meanwhile, in a small pan melt a third of 5 ½ oz sugar over medium heat without stirring until it turns deep amber. Carefully pour it into the milk (it splutters) and stir well.
5 minStep 4: Add the remaining sugar and keep stirring over low heat until the mix turns brown, thick and starts to leave the pan, 10–12 minutes.
12 minStep 5: Stir in ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 tbsp ghee, cook 2 more minutes, then spoon into a bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature in small portions. Keeps 4 days in the fridge.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kunda take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 85 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of plain yogurt (curd)?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
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Perfect for:Ganesh Chaturthi