1 teaspoon rose water or 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder or both
2 teaspoons ghee for cooking
1 teaspoon ghee for greasing
Instructions
Add 1&1/2; cups cashews to a blender jar and pulse a few times until it turns to a powder.
Do not run the blender for a long time as the cashews begin to release oil and turn lumpy.
To ensure the powder is not very grainy sieve it and blend the coarse particles again.
The cashew powder will be slightly grainy.
Add 3/4 cup sugar and 90 ml water to a non stick pan. Heat & dissolve it well.
When the sugar melts off completely and begins to boil rapidly, add the cashew powder. Lower the heat.
Mix well to blend the sugar syrup and cashew powder.
The mixture must be smooth without any lumps.
Keep stirring and cook on a medium heat until slightly thick.
Then pour 1 teaspoon rosewater and one teaspoon ghee.
You can also add 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder.
Cook until the mixture turns thick and begins to leave the sides of the pan.
If it doesn't then drizzle few drops of ghee again and mix.
At this stage the mixture should not look dry but has to be moist and sticky
To check if the mixture is ready. Turn off the stove and set the pan aside.
Take 1/4 teaspoon of this mixture and cool it down a bit.
Roll it to a ball with greased fingers. You must get a ball that isn't sticky.
Upon cooling completely this has to get the texture of the katli or fudge.
Next transfer the cooked mixture immediately to a greased plate or parchment paper (butter paper).
Let the temperature come down to warm or slightly hot.
While the mixture is still slightly hot or warm, grease your palms and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes to a smooth crack free dough.
Another method is to place the mixture on parchment paper and cover it. Then knead it well with the paper over the mixture. Covering the mixture with parchment paper protects your palm from extreme heat.
If your mixture tends to stick a lot, it means it is still underdone. So continue to cook the mixture for a little longer. If your mixture looks dry, sprinkle some boiled and cooled water and knead.
Place the ball on a greased aluminum foil or a butter paper and cover it.
With the help of a rolling pin, roll it evenly to 1/4 inch thickness.
Cool completely and cut to desired shapes. Store kaju katli in an airtight box.
