Festivals and sweets are inseparable in India. With Sarika make Diwali sweets at home. She tells us about Kaju Flowers, a variation of Kaju Katli. It’s not only economical but far more unadulterated when you prepare sweets at home. Plus, it speaks of your love and care for family and friends. Here’s the recipe, as part of special feature on Diwali, exclusively in Different Truths.
Almost whole India is decked up with different types of candles and fairy lights. Diwali is undoubtedly India’s biggest religious festival and it celebrated with extreme grandeur. We don’t celebrate Diwali, we celebrate Kali Puja, in Bengal and Assam. One of my London friends calls it Indian Halloween too.
India is a country of festivals. We Indians celebrate almost every day, after Dussehra now it is Diwali.
For many Kali Puja means lots of fire crackers, I was never a fire crackers lover and as the years passed by my leftover love for crackers completely declined. My colourful childhood Kali Puja memories filled with practices of Shyama Sangeet for the competition (which was very common during those days in my town) decorating house with fairy lights and diyas. And in the late evening visit to Digboi Kalibari.
But now it changed a bit, except house decoration, I also prepare some sweets and pack gift boxes for my close friends.
This Diwali, I prepared some Kaju (cashew nuts) Flowers for the first time. The procedure is quite similar to Kaju Katli, with little variations.
Here is the recipe:
Kaju Flowers
Indian cuisine Category: sweet
Prep time: 10mins Total time: 20mins
Ingredients
Cashew nuts-1 cup
Food colour-red and green
Ghee 1.5tsp. (for greasing)
Sugar half cup
Water 3.5tbs.
Milk 1tsp.
Procedure
Powder the cashews at normal (room) temperature.
By the time arrange food colour and keep ghee greased plate ready.
In a pan add sugar and water heat until a string consistency.
Now add cashew powder and stir constantly till the point it turns into smooth dough.
Transfer the dough into the greased plate and separate them into two parts.
Add both the colour in each dough separately and mix well.
Knead it properly and leave it for five 5minutes.
If by any chance, the mixture is dry and friable add half tsp milk along with the food colour.
Apply ghee in palms and start kneading the dough to give it desired shapes.
Make a ball with green dough and make it flat, now make one ball with red dough and keep it in the red dough.
Close it like a stuffed parathas.
Cover it and keep it around 39minutes for settle.
At last with a sharp knife cut the balls to make a flower shape.
And serve to your family and friends.
Happy Diwali, Friends.
©Sarika Sarkar Das
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