The Veggie Indian: Super Easy Kaju Katli - And some glimpse from Diwali this year

Let me start with saying that if you are in a mood to impress your family and relatives on any Occasion very soon, this is one recipe you are looking for. With little fat and not too much Sugar, this will be star dish of your menu. Trust me on this and read further ;)

Back in Childhood days, Diwali meant sweets and crackers for me. I was never too religious to sit in Pooja with my Family, rather was always busy in either decorating home or binging on sweets. And yes off course looking at myself in mirrors all day through while doing my two fav things... It was my sister who did all the good work like Pooja and helping Mum out in the Kitchen, looking after guests etc.. But their was one thing in which we were always together.. Stealing Kaju Katli from Mum's Cupbourd.

Our mother always knew that we will finish the whole packet in one go hence she used to find out new places to hide this sweet and though we always found it out and thought of ourselves as Super detectives at that time, we now understand that she did that on purpose. Keeping things hidden, didnt allow us to have more than 4-5 pieces in one day ( yes, that WAS less for us !! ) with the fear of her getting to know and hence it used to survive for almost a week.

It is strange to think now, how we did not bought Kaju Katli any other time of the year but only during Diwali. May be there are some things which are associated to a particular festival or occasion and in our subconscious minds we don't imagine those two separately. Like this Kaju Katli and Diwali have always been a combined treat for me, and I might get some offensive glances if I say that the first thing that come into my mind with Diwali approaching is this sweet and not Pooja, Ganesh Laxmi or even decorating home. Uff !! Me and my Sweet tooth ...

I have given enough reasons above, to ellaborate my love for Kaju Katli and reckon you would have understood by now that itys one of my fav Indian sweet. Hence, when I got to know that its not that difficult to make, rather very easy.. I could not control myself to prepare it for Diwali this year .... And the first Blog I searched was of of Nisha Madhulika.. I have been going to her blog since a long time now and she is a veteran in Indian Sweets and traditional dishes. She has given two methods of preparing Kaju Katli and I used the first one, which was very simple and any beginner can cook it.

Added some Glimpses as well, from Diwali. Diwali Photo Courtesy : SonaliUday's Say Cheese.

What you need?

1 1/4 cup Cashew nuts
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
2 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup Water

* These Diyas were painted by Sonali and gifted to us for Diwali..

How to Make ?

Powder Cashews in a Food Processor I got some issue here, since my grinding Jar is not working and I had to use Chutney Jar to powder Cashews which brought out oil from the nut and hence my Barfi was a bit coarse. This will not be the case if you grind them in a Grinder and you will get smooth texture.
Meanwhile, boil water in a pan and add Sugar to it, bring to a boil again and let it simmer for another 5-6 minutes to thicken.
Add Cashew powder and simmer for 4-5 minutes while stirring continuously else it will stick at the bottom of the pan. At this stage, be extra careful since the right consistency will be when you can make a non sticky small ball from the lump in between your fingers.
Pour in the mixture in a plate and let it cool enough to be handled by hands. Apply some ghee on your palms and start kneading the dough with light hands. Well, not kneading exactly like we knead Chapatti flour but just pulling the mass together.
Now, spread it on greased Butter Paper/ Thali with the help of your palms or rolling pin which ever feels comfortable. And cut it in desired shapes, diagonal traditionally.

Sharing love with fire, rare combo !

My notes:

The top Barfi in my pictures was not made by me, it was from the pack of Assorted sweets and had the Varq on it. I have not used Varq on my Katlis. You can use it, if you get that in your area
I actually did a mistake in following the recipe, and though it didnt change the taste but the final result could have been much smoother than it already was. I added more water than was recomended and hence the mixture was a bit runny. Which is why I could not knead the dough properly and had some lumps on top. You will not have them if you keep the water quantity as mentioned above and knead it well with greeased hands.