Photo: Sumit Surai · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Maharashtra · Dessert

Kaju Katli

Diamond-shaped fudge made from cashew paste cooked with sugar syrup to a smooth, pliable dough and then rolled thin and cut — the most gifted mithai during Diwali across all of Maharashtra. The texture should be firm enough to pick up but melt almost instantly on the tongue — not dry, not sticky. Maharashtra's mithai shops pride themselves on paper-thin kaju katli with a silvery vark (edible silver leaf) on top.

🧺 Ingredients

• 2 cups (280 g) raw cashews (kaju), unsalted
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• ½ cup (120 ml) water
• 1 tsp ghee (for kneading)
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• Edible silver vark (optional — traditional garnish)
• Ghee for greasing parchment
• Roll between parchment sheets — bare surface sticks
• Freshly made kaju katli is softest; it firms slightly over 24–48 hours (still good for a week)

👩‍🍳 How to make Kaju Katli

1. Grind raw cashews in a dry mixer/grinder in short pulses to a fine, smooth powder — do not over-blend or the cashews release oil and become a paste.
2. Grind in batches of 30 seconds, resting between.
3. Sieve through a fine mesh; re-grind any coarse pieces.
4. The powder should be dry, fine and white.
5. Combine sugar and water in a heavy pan over high heat.
6. Stir until sugar dissolves.
7. Boil without stirring for 5–6 minutes until it reaches one-string consistency (test: dip a spoon and let a drop fall — it should form a thin, continuous single string between thumb and forefinger).
8. Remove from heat immediately at this stage — over-cooking makes the katli grainy and too hard.
9. Add cashew powder to the hot syrup.
10. Stir immediately over low heat for 5–7 minutes — the mixture will come together into a dough-like mass that leaves the pan sides.
11. Add cardamom.
12. The mixture will be soft and slightly sticky.
13. Remove from heat.
14. Add 1 tsp ghee.
15. Transfer to a ghee-greased parchment sheet.
16. Knead for 1 minute while warm until smooth and pliable.
17. If it sticks to your hands, cool for 1 more minute and try again.
18. Place the warm dough between two sheets of parchment.
19. Roll to 4–5 mm thickness using a rolling pin.
20. Peel off the top sheet.
21. Apply silver vark if using (press gently).
22. Cut into diamond shapes using a sharp, lightly greased knife — 3 cm sides is traditional.
23. Allow to cool completely at room temperature (20–30 minutes) before separating the pieces.
24. Store in an airtight container.

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