I used the milk to actually clean up the condensed milk tin of the remnants sticking all over the tin inside. You can very well skip it if the condensed milk comes out clean!!! :)
If not using the milk, then increase the water used in agar agar to 1/2 cup.
The strands may be very tricky to melt. In this case, coarsely powder them in your grinder, soak them in hot water and then proceed with melting it. After it melts, you can directly pour in the remaining ingredients, give a good mix till it becomes warm and then allow it to set.