Kaju Katli (Cashew Burfi)

Kaju Katli or Cashew Burfi is the king of all the sweets (according to me and not wiki :P) It is rich, decadent, not too sweet, leaves a great after taste and is elegant to look at plus you cannot stop it at one, it is an addictive sweet! Hands down the most gorgeous looking diamond cut burfi :) Yes, in my house we call it Diamond Burfi ( thanks to my son :)).

Kaju means Cashew and Katli means a slice. It is also known as Kaju Katari or Kaju Burfi. It is one of the most expensive sweets available in the market and extensively gifted to friends and family on the occasion of festivals or family events.

Until recently I got these beauties from India, meaning whenever anyone came visiting us from there, my mother in law saw to it that she tucked a Kaju Katli box with them to give it to me (all this for her grandson). My kid loves it so much, he can finish the whole box in one sitting.  If I go to an Indian grocery store, it is mandatory for me to pick up this kaju katli box or jalebis. I am not sure why I don't make these often at home :) and why I wait to make it only on some special occasions or festivals.

Well wait, I know why :) don't laugh at the reason, it's that edible silver foil (vark) that is coated on the Kaju Katli which makes it extra special when you bring it from the store. Till now, I did not find it in the market and without the vark, burfi looks plain and bland. ( It's like an actress without makeup :)) This year I ordered it from amazon and was thrilled to make use of vark! So yup, you guessed it right! From now on, it will be home made Kaju Katli only :)

You will be surprised to know that this burfi gets done in no time, really! Simple and fantastic tasting dessert at your fingertips!

Let us take a look at the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews 
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 5 drops of kewra water (or pinch of cardamom powder)
• 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Preparation: 

• In a blender ground cashews into a powder. (Sieve it if you want fine looking burfi)
• In a non-stick pan add water and sugar, bring it to a boil while stirring sugar. Cook just until sugar melts and you see bubbles forming in the syrup. Takes just about a minute. 

• Keep the gas flame on medium now, add cashew powder and start stirring the mixture. Keep doing it until the mixture leaves the non-stick pan. Will take about 4-5 minutes. (you can test it by taking a very small portion of mixture and forming a ball with your fingers, be careful as it will be hot)

• Add kewra water or cardamom powder, mix once.
• Keep a plate ready that is greased with ghee. Pour the mixture on the plate. Spread it lightly so that it cools down.
• As soon as you can handle the mixture, slather the ghee in your palms and softly knead the Katli mixture. 

• Take butter paper (wax paper) or piece of plastic and place the dough. Now cover it with another square piece of butter paper. 
• Use a rolling pin to make a squarish shaped sheet. You can keep the thickness of the Kaju Katli as per your liking. Usually, it is 1 to 1 1/2 inches. 

• With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the sheet in diamond shapes. 
• Take edible silver leaf (vark) and place it on the burfi. This is very very delicate, take it fully along with the paper and place it on the burfi. 

• Let it cool down completely. Store it in air tight container.

Notes:* You can also add saffron strands in the mixture or yellow food color to get yellow kaju katli. That looks very nice too.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits: 

Unsaturated fats and omega fats not only reduce bad cholesterol but also lower triglycerides helping your heart to stay healthy. Our body needs nutrients from all food groups including fats. Cashew nuts naturally have a negligible amount of sodium in them, unless you eat salted cashew. They contain a fair amount of potassium that contributes in regulating blood pressure. Cashews are rich in protein. Cashews contain anacardic acids that are found to effectively kill organisms that cause tooth decay and abscesses. Of course, this dish contains sugar, but you can eat it one piece after your meals and have fun with it. Try giving it to kids which will boost their energy levels.