Kaju Katli
Kaju Katli is a traditional North Indian sweet made with kaju (cashew). It is best made at home because it can be rather expensive in sweet shops. It takes less than half an hour to make – simple, yet tasty! With just 3 ingredients, it comes in handy if you have guests coming over at short notice. So here it goes!
Ingredients
Cashews – 1 cup
Sugar – ½ cup
Ghee – 2 tsp (*Note 1)
Yield
~ 25 pieces
(serving size 2 pieces)
Prep time
2 mins
(to powder cashews)
Cook time
20 mins
Method
1) Powder the cashews finely in a mixer and keep aside.
2) Add the sugar to a heavy bottomed/kadai/non stick pan with just enough water to cover the sugar. Definitely do not add more water than required.
3) Keep the heat in medium and stir the sugar continuously until it dissolves completely.
4) Once it dissolves completely stop stirring and allow it to boil further until it reaches ‘one string’ consistency. Use a spoon to stir intermittently and touch the syrup between your thumb and index finger to check the syrup consistency. When the syrup forms a single string without breaking between your fingers, you’re good to go! Keep the heat medium to low at this stage. (*Note 2)
5) Now reduce the heat to the lowest and add the cashew powder to the syrup. Keep mixing thoroughly (without allowing it to form lumps) for exactly one minute (by the clock!). Add a teaspoon of ghee now.
6) Take the pan out of the stove and keep mixing for another 3 to 4 minutes.
7) Transfer the mixture to a wide bowl. Just leave it for 2 to 3 minutes and let it cool down a bit.
8) When it is bearable to touch, grease your palm with a teaspoon of ghee and start kneading the mixture well for a few minutes until it becomes soft and smooth to roll.
9) Now transfer this to greased baking paper on your counter top or to any flat non-stick surface.
10) With a greased rolling pin quickly roll the mixture evenly to a thickness of approximately 3mm.
11) Now cut it into diamond shapes.
12) Store in an airtight box when cooled completely. It stays fresh without refrigeration for a week to ten days.
Notes
- Ghee is nothing but clarified butter and it gives a nice aroma to the dish. It can be made at home very easily or bought from any Indian store.
- Until the sugar dissolves completely, stirring is necessary. After it dissolves completely and starts boiling, it undergoes different stages before reaching the caramel stage. At this point (after dissolution), frequent stirring will slow down the process and it will take longer to get the one string consistency.
Beginner’s tips
- The cashews have to be at room temperature. If you feel that the cashews are slightly damp, then you need to dehydrate them. For this, heat a pan first and remove it from the stove. In this hot pan, fry the cashews dry for 5 mins until they become crisp. This will help in even grinding.
- The mixer should not be operated continuously while powdering the cashews. Otherwise, the heat generated while grinding will release oil from the cashews, making them lumpy. They will stick together without becoming a powder.
