Kaju kathli/ Cashew burfi
Kaju kathli is easily my favourite sweet and I am honestly thrilled to bits that Adyant loves it too :). As I am typing this out Adya is chanting that he loves Kaju kathli lol. Anywho, he’s been asking for it for a few weeks now ever since mil started discussing about the sweets we need to make for diwali. So we knew that we have to make a batch of KKs for him no matter what. So 2 days back made a batch which was polished off by dad n son in 2 days :D. When Adya realised D was also eating his KKs, he came and checked in with me.. asked if appa finished everything or if he still has some left :D. It was so cute when he asked that. Realised how much he loves this sweet. Just 2 years back he wouldn’t have any sweet. Anyways, told him I will make another batch for him and he was so happy. Decided to update the blog pics alongside that. Considering this guy amukks/ downs a whole kathli at a time knew I have to make small pieces instead of big ones :D.
Considering how much Adya loves KKs, I wanted to click some pics of him as well for memory sake :D. Adya is 4.5 now, still loves his thatha, Tasha akka and mixer trucks the most; loves school and his friends; a great chai partner for us cos loves to kadha adichify. still loves being in the kitchen with paati and when amma cooks; loves watching sports with appa; sudden craze for cricket thanks to IPL; Loves colour blue and hence wearing blue tee and shorts below (he is his own stylist); Currently loves Kaju Kathlis, peanut chikkis and all savoury norukku theenis :).
Sincere poser 🙂 
Standard pose of Adya’s where he closes his eyes when he glees :D. I find this super cute. 
When I gave him the go to eat cos posing was done :). 
1 full kathi in mouth :D. 
Relaxing read family hunch mode on while gorge mode on :). 
1 full kathli now in tummy!!
Below is what I wrote when I first posted the recipe. I am happy to report I nail kaju kathli everytime I make it now :D.
Ha, now this is what I call a master stroke, I made kaju kathli :D. I realised I venture a lot into baking when I want to make sweets and that I hardly ever try out Indian sweets. Kaju kathli has always been one of my favourites & D loves it too. He often buys it from sweet shops here locally & I have been meaning to try it now forever. Took the plunge and tried it a few backs using raks kitchen recipe. Honestly, I love all her recipes for the fact that they are fail-proof. This was no exception. It was super easy to make. I was even happier since my mil & mom both have never made this before. They are veterans obviously when it comes to cooking (Indian, specifically in that) and both of them gave a huge thumbs up to this when I made it again over the weekend. I had them around to help me identify the point at which I needed to add the cashew powder. Honestly, they were so effortless at identifying that. Raks’ recipe calls for milk only if the cashew-sugar syrup paste isn’t taken out at the exact moment & this happened to me as well. I had to add in some milk to get the whole mixture to hold together. This does not compromise on the taste but it reduces the shelf life. I need to attempt this again to perfect it without adding that extra milk :). But seriously, this recipe is super duper easy & a fail proof method. Once you make this and calculate the cost that went in to make the recipe, you’ll realise how jacked up the prices of kaju kathli outside are. Not to mention, most places end up adding all purpose flour/ peanuts/ corn flour & still end up keeping the price high. This one and what you get in a super good quality shop both taste the same – seriously, no difference. I loved it & I would absolutely recommend you to try it out yourself.
- 1 cup cashew nuts
- 1/2 (heaped) cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp ghee for greasing, if you are using a plate
- 1 tbsp milk keep handy
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Make sure your cashew nuts are at room temperature (refer to notes for more details).
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Powder them using a grinder mixer into a smooth powder. The grinding needs to be done in a single go. Transfer this to a bowl or scrape the bottom & keep this mixture in the mixer itself. Set it aside.
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In a wide pan, heat the sugar & water. Let it boil. Keep stirring every few minutes once.
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After about 5 minutes (on medium to high heat), the syrup will start to thicken. To know whether the syrup has reached the correct consistency, you can pour a few drops in a small bowl of water. If a fine thread is formed without dissolving in water immediately, the syrup is ready.
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Add the powdered cashew at this stage & constantly stir in on low flame.
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In a few minutes (less than 5 minutes), you will notice the mixture coming together (my mil asks me to check for the mixture leaving the sides of the vessel & coming in closer together in the center and the whole mixture bubbles up).Â
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Switch off the heat at this stage & transfer the cashew mixture to a bowl. Let the mixture cool down a bit.  Do not be tempted to poke the mixture. Just leave it aside for 5 minutes. Use this time to scrape the bits left in the pan & the spatula :).
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Once the mixture cools down a bit (it should still be warm-hot), start kneading. If you find the mixture too crumbly, add a little bit of milk (1 teaspoon at a time).Â
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Knead for a few minutes continuously just like you need for rotis. You will notice the mixture will become soft.
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At this stage, either transfer on to a flat surface with parchment paper lined, cover with another parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, flatten the cashew mixture. You could also grease a plate with some ghee, transfer the mixture on to that & flatten using your hands or a firm spatula with a broad end.
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Once you have the flattened mixture, cut into desired shapes & dig in. Or of course, store in an airtight container for later consumption :).
- Make sure the cashew nuts come to a room temperature before you grind it.Â
- 1 cup of cashew nuts end up making a heaped cup of powered cashew.
- Take a flattish pan and preferrably non stick.Â
- Make sure to get the sugar syrup in it's ready state before you pour in the cashew powder. If you are unsure of the consistency, what you are looking for is when you take some syrup in your spatula and pour it down, it should feel like a syrup and not just water :).
- If you cook the cashew mixture longer than that perfect consistency, your mixture will harden when it cools down in the bowl and will be crumbly. You won't get a smooth dough. Worry not, just add milk 1/2t at a time and knead till you get a smooth pliable dough.
- If you do end up adding milk, there is no compromise in terms of taste. However, the shelf life becomes much less. You need to consume it within 2-3 days or refrigerate it to use within 5-7 days.Â
- If you take off the cashew mixture from the stove before it reaches its perfect consistency, then even as the cashew mixture cools down you won't find it hardening. Again, absolutely nothing to worry. Jut put the mixture back on to the pan and place it on the stove, heat for 1-2 mins on medium-high heat. Keep stirring with a spatula during that time. The consistency you are looking for is that of a halwa where the whole mixture will be sticking and circling around the spatula. At that time, turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to the bowl (you can literally lift the spatula and the whole mixture will be sticking to it) and let it cool down. Now try and do the dough part after it cools down a bit.Â
- One last point - DO NOT burn your fingers or your lips/ tongue 😀 by putting them in into the cashew mixture while it's too hot.Â
Make sure to get 1c cashew nuts to room temperature. 
Grind it till smooth in a mixer grinder in one go. 
Transfer this to a bowl or scrape the bottom/ sides and keep the powder in the mixer jar itself. Set it aside. Basically have it handy to dunk into the sugar syrup once that’s ready. 
In a wide pan, heat 1/2c sugar & 1/4c water in high flame. 
After about 3 minutes (on high heat), the syrup will start to thicken. 
To know whether the syrup has reached the correct consistency, you can pour a few drops in a small bowl of water. If a fine thread is formed without dissolving in water immediately, the syrup is ready. You can also take a bit of the syrup in between your thumb & pointer to see if it forms a string. You can also take some in a ladle and pour it down and see if it falls down together. 
Add the powdered cashew at this stage and mix. Turn the flame to low. 
Keep stirring. 
Within 3-4 minutes on low flame, you will notice the mixture leaves the sides of the vessels & starts to come towards the center. 
Right around that stage the entire mixture will bubble well and the consistency will be similar to that of condensed milk. At this stage, turn off the heat. 
Pour the hot mixture into a bowl & let it cool down. Scrap of the remaining bits from the pan and add it as well. 
As the mixture cools down, it becomes thicker/ harder. When the mixture is still warm to hot, start kneading. Look at notes above for what to do when the right texture isn’t reached. 
Slowly start kneading. Just took this pic to show the texture when we start to knead. 
This too, see how it looks like therattipaal. The mixture is still warm here. 
Knead, roll, pat and repeat till you have a smooth pliable dough. 
Similar to that of chapathi dough. 
Now place this on a greased plate/ pan/ silpat/ baking sheet. 
Flatten & spread with ur fingers or with a rolling pin (if using silpat/ baking sheet). Allow it to cool down fully. 
Cut into pieces. Pop it out. 
Have it immediately of course :). But this will keep well right at room temp for weeks.
