Recipe- Most Popular Indian Sweets Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli or Kaju Burfi is a fudge made of cashews. Me and kaju katli have had a love-hate relationship. As a child, I never liked it. I mean it was my least favorite sweet and everyone I knew just adored it.Kaju Katli is also known as Kaju Burfi. It’s the same thing and it is one of the most popular Indian sweets.

Ingredients

1 cup whole cashews raw cashews, 150 grams
1/2 cup granulated white sugar 100 grams
1/4 cup water 60 ml
1/2 teaspoon rose water optional
1 teaspoon ghee
edible silver leaves also known as chandi ka vark and is used for garnishing, optional

Method

* Place cashews in a spice grinder. I prefer using my spice grinder (this is the one I have) to grind nuts. You can also use a food processor or any other blender you have.

* Grind to a smooth powder. However don't over grind it else cashews will release oil, you don't want cashew butter!

* You can sieve if there are coarse pieces of cashew. The spice grinder does a really fine job, so I did not sieve the mixture. Set it aside.

* Add sugar and water in a pan on medium heat. You can also add rose water (optional) at this point. Stir to combine.

* Let the sugar melt and then once the sugar melts, let the mixture boil for 1 minute. We are not looking for any sugar syrup consistent here.

* Then lower the heat and add in the powdered cashews. Stir to combine.

* You can use a whisk at this point to get rid of any lumps in the mixture.

* Keep stirring the mixture on low heat. Add a teaspoon of ghee and stir. Ghee makes the mixture smooth and also adds some shine to the katli.

* Keep stirring, after around 10 minutes on low heat, the dough will leave the sides of the pan. This is the stage when you want to remove pan from heat.

* You can check if the dough is done or not by taking a small piece from mixture, let it cool down a little and then roll it between your thumb and index finger. You should be able to make a non-sticky ball out of it.

* It means your dough is done. If not, you need to cook it further. It will be done around 10-12 minutes on low heat though.

* Once the dough is done, transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper.

* Wait for 3 to 4 minutes for the dough to cool down a bit. Then knead the dough with your hands to make it smooth. You have to knead the dough while its warm.
* But be careful to not burn your fingers. Let it cool down a little and only then attempt to knead.

* Also if the dough looks very dry while kneading, you can sprinkle some water or milk to make it smooth.

* Then place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough. Roll to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick using a rolling pin applying equal pressure on all sides.

* Once rolled, apply chandi vark if using. Cut the dough into diamond shape by first cutting the dough vertically and then horizontally.

* Separate the kaju katli and enjoy! You can store the kaju katli in the refrigerator for up to a week.