Kaju Katli- Cashew Thins
Kaju Katli is a traditional indian sweet (mithai) made with cashews. It has a melt in the mouth texture and you will need ground cashews, sugar and water for making these fudgy thins.
Ingredients
- 1 +¾ cup raw cashew powder (220g) Made by grinding about 1.5 cup broken cashew pieces
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Instructions
Make Cashew Powder
- Use cashews at room temperature.If you store your nuts in the fridge, take them out a night before and spread on the kitchen towel to air dry. The cashews should be at room temperature and completely dry before you start powdering them.
- Cashews have a high fat content and if they are refrigerated or sweaty to begin with, they they will start clumping up and become pasty when we grind them. For kaju katli, we need cashew powder.Place the cashews in a dry blender jar and in one go powder them as fine as you can. Do not overwork the blender. I scrape the side after a long go and thereafter pulse 2-3 times. We need a loose, fine powder.
- Sift the loose powder using a sieve.This way any pieces that did not grind will be separated. Dont try to grind what's left behind because it is a very small quantity and will need long grinding. Pro Tip - I save the cashew pieces left behind and use them in future to make a wet cashew paste for recipes that need it.
Make The Cashew Dough
- In a wide, heavy bottomed pan (1 use 10 inch stainless steel pan) combine the sugar and water. Set the pan on low flame and let the sugar dissolve. You can use iron kadai or non stick pan as well.
- Gently stir (I use my rubber spatula) the solution once. Keep flame on low and let the sugar dissolve. We are not looking for any string consistency.
- Keep the stove on low. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the powdered cashews. Mix everything and brace yourself for some hard work. Keep on stirring as the mix cooks on low flame.
- In about 18 minutes, you will see that the mixture starts thickening and coming together.
- Around 22 minutes, the mixture will start resembling a soft, sticky dough and will clump up around the spatula. If you try to bring the mixture together in one place, it will try to slowly spread. It took me exactly 24 minutes to reach that stage. Pro Tip :- One way to check the texture of the dough is by rolling a ting ball from the dough. It should be soft and supple, not sticky.
Knead, Roll And Cut the Katli
- Immediately transfer to a greased surface and leave to cool a bit until its safe to handle. Very gently knead the dough for 5-7 minutes to form a ball.Pro Tip :-Do not press very hard as you knead else the cashews will start oozing their oil.
- Flatten slightly. Place a parchment paper on top and using a rolling-pin, roll it out to a ⅓" thickness. Using a sharp knife (or a ravioli cutter, like I did), cut into diamonds.Note :- Before cutting, stick the edible silver or gold foil on top if using.
- Serve or store in an air tight container for 5-6 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 81kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 1mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 7gVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!