Kaju Sweets

Badam Halwa is my favourite Sweet and my ammamma, prepares it excellently. She always prepares it for my Birthdays. and as a follower of her, i made Kaju Sweets for my Son's Birthday Party. It turned out with Great Taste, and my guests enjoyed the Kaju Sweet very much.

Coming to the Recipe..

Ingredients:

(Yields 30 very small pieces / 18 medium sized pieces)

1. Cashews -  2 cup (300 gms)
2. Sugar - 1 cup
3. Water - just to the level of sugar immerses (1/4 cup water)
4. Ghee - to Grease your Palms.
5. I used 3 Colours,

(i) Kesari Colour (ii) Lemon Yellow Colour (iii) Orange Red Colour


6. Few Cashew's and Almonds to decorate.

- Wash and dry your mixer, without any wet.
- Grind the Cashew to the powder form.

The Ratio between Cashew Powder and Sugar is 2 : 1.

How to Make Sugar Syrup for Kaju Sweets?

Take One cup of sugar in a thick bottomed pan, and pour water till it get immersed (say 1/4 cup of water).

Keep checking every half minute..

1. Soon after the sugar water starts to boil, have a little in a spoon and touch it with your fingers. it will be very sticky to your fingers.( pisukku patham)

2. Second stage is, just drop a drop of sugar syrup on a plate, and tilt the plate, sugar syrup will start flowing.

3. Third and required stage for Kaju Sweet is

Drop a drop of sugar syrup, on a plate, it should get set and not move, when the plate is tilted.

When the syrup attains the third stage, put the cashew powder to the syrup and keep stirring it to avoid lumps. even break the lumps if any formed.

Keep the flame Low and keep stirring for at least 3-4 minutes.

(For Good Quality Cashews, it takes less time like 4 minutes., but for ordinary Cashews, it takes atleast 10-15 minutes of stirring)

When you see bubbles coming and blowing off from the cashew dough and when you take it with a slotted spoon ( Jalli Karandi ), and tilt the spoon, The cashew burfi should start sliding vertically like paper and flat. switch off the flame and remove from the stove.

Let it cool for about 10 to 15 minutes and till your palms could bear the heat for kneading.

Grease some ghee on your palms and knead the cashew dough for about a minute or 2, till they all come out to a big ball shape. (Kaju Dough is ready) - Refer here to make Kaju Roll.

Divide the Cashew dough into 3 parts and add 3 different colours to each part of the cashew dough. mix the colours well with the dough. and roll into small balls with your ghee greased palm's. (just as we make balls from chapathi dough).

Cut the Almonds and Cashews into small pieces and insert into the centre of the Kaju Sweet Balls so that they get flattened a little.