getfood: KAJU KATLI RECIPE | DIWALI SWEETS RECIPES

Kaju katli is my family’s favourite sweet. This was the first sweet i tried on my own ( without my MIL’s help) after my marriage for Sendhil & Raksha.Though I have tried this several times, i have not posted it here in detail.Long back i had posted this recipe without much details along with some other sweets & savouries during diwali.But i want to have a separate post for kaju katli in my blog with step by step pictures and some tips for easier understanding especially for beginners.I have tried this recipe several times and it comes out perfect. After i got the confidence of preparing kaju katli , i started making kaju lotus sweet which tastes very similar to kaju katli but it looks colourful. Both the sweets are very easy to prepare. So when u try this recipe , don’t forget to try kaju lotus. U’ll love it.In this recipe i have used cashews & sugar but i heard milk powder & saccharine is also added along with cashews in sweet stalls to yield more quantity.For 1 cup of cashews, u can get 8-10 pieces using this recipe.
I also have a good news to share with u all. I had won second prize in “Mj delight’s anniversary event “ and got these cute steel canisters.Thank u so much dear.I was very happy because this is the first event i participated & won the prize too.. Party smile

Check out my Easy Badam Cashew Burfi if interested !

Kaju Katli recipe

How to make Kaju katli - Diwali sweets recipes

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 8-10 nos

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Cashew nuts – 1 cup
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Water – 1/4 cup
Ghee – 1 tsp
Milk – 1-2 tsp (optional, only if needed)

METHOD

HOW TO POWDER CASHEWS

Cashews should be dry. If u have kept in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature by spreading them in a towel or paper to absorb all the water. OR Dry roast the cashews in a broad hot kadai in low flame without changing the color.Switch off the stove and put the cashews in the hot kadai for 10-15 mins till it becomes crisp & dry. I have followed both the methods & it works.
Grind cashews to a fine powder. U can do this by two methods.One is :Run the mixie at low speed for short intervals , stir in between to get a fine powder. Repeat the same for 2-3 times till u get a nice powder. Make sure u do not over grind them . If over ground , cashews will leave oil & becomes a sticky paste..
Second method is : Run the mixie continuously till u get a fine powder. U should be careful . Do not grind for more time.

I have tried both the methods .. They work very well. U can try any.
When u grind 1 cup of cashews u’ll get 2-3 tbsp more than 1 cup of powder. U can use the same quantity and proceed further. No need to measure 1 cup of powder. 1/2 cup of sugar would be enough.

HOW TO PROCEED

After grinding the cashews,set aside.Grease a plate with ghee & keep it ready.
In a kadai , take 1/2 cup of sugar & add 1/4 cup of water just to cover the sugar. Allow it to boil till it reaches one string consistency.ie.take a drop of syrup from the back of ladle and test it between your thumb & fore finger. When u release it , u’ll get a thin,uncut single string.( oru kambi padham)

Now add the ground cashew powder & mix well till u get a whole mass.ie, Keep stirring until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan and becomes thick. It takes maximum of 4-5 minutes in medium flame.Test the consistency by making a small ball from the dough using wet fingers. U should be able to roll a soft,non sticky ball out of it.

Transfer the mixture to the greased plate and leave it for 10 minutes . It will become warm.Grease your hands with little ghee & Knead well like chapathi dough.Initially u’ll feel dry & hard but as u knead well, it will become soft & smooth. ( If u have missed the right consistency,the mixture will become very hard & crumbly.In that case add little milk and start kneading. U’ll get a soft ball like this at the end. But adding milk reduces the shelf life of the sweet.Add milk if u feel the dough is too hard to handle.Else add a tsp of ghee for kneading)
In a plastic sheet or butter paper,grease it with ghee, roll the kneaded dough using a rolling pin and cut them into the desired shapes.

It just melts in ur mouth. Enjoy !! Stays good for 2-3 days.. Smile

Enjoy !

Trouble shooting tips

In case, u missed the right consistency and if the dough becomes crumbly and hard, just break them into pieces. Grind in a big mixie jar adding little water or milk and make a smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to the kadai and again cook it till you attain the correct stage.You can easily identify the right stage as you know where you went wrong. So do it patiently and remove it at the right stage.

Note

Cashews should be completely dry before grinding.While powdering the cashews please be careful in running the mixie. Over doing it makes the cashews sticky & wet.U wont get the perfect smooth powder.
One string consistency is very important. If sugar reaches more than one string consistency , katli will become hard. U have to add more milk to make it soft. Adding more than the required milk makes it wet & sticky.It reduces the shelf life of the sweet.
U can check the consistency of dough by making a small ball out of it.The ball should be non-sticky.Suppose if u over mix the dough and if it becomes hard,no worries.Just keep the dough in a plate and let it warm.Add little milk to it and knead it well.It will become soft.Then u can roll it and make pieces as mentioned above.