What is Kaju Katli?
Kaju Katli is an Indian sweet or mithai translating directly to “cashew slice”. It is made with raw cashews that are ground up, mixed with sugar and ghee, along with a bit of cardamom to make the most delectable sweet.
This mithai is one of my favorites, and one that I cannot resist. Kaju katli is a very popular sweet, especially during festivals like Diwali, and is often given as a gift to celebrate the occasion. It is considered a premium treat, and loved by all.
Origins of Kaju Katli
The origins of foods always fascinate me, and I want to dive deep into how the foods came about and how they were perceived by people in a particular generation.
Kaju katli’s origin is debated, with some theories tracing it to the 16th-century Maratha Empire chef Bhimrao in the Deccan region, while others link it to the Mughal era. Bhimrao is said to have created the sweet by adapting a Persian almond dessert using cashews. Alternatively, some legends attribute its creation to a Mughal chef to celebrate the liberation of Guru Hargovind. Both origin stories feature royal kitchens and a connection to Persian culinary influences.
Whatever be the origin, I am here for this delectable treat!
Idea for Pistachio Rose Katli
I love desserts that celebrate pistachio and rose flavors, which are Persian flavors that were influential in India as well, and influenced many of the sweets that you find at a mithaiwala.
There are Pistachio Katlis and Saffron Katlis or Cardamom Katlis, but combining two wonderful flavors into one katli, just seemed like a very interesting concept to me. Pistachio Rose is such a classic combination as well, and makes for wonderful desserts.
What are the ingredients of the Pistachio Rose Katli?
The ingredients of the Pistachio Rose Katli are:
Rose Katli
- Raw cashews
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Freshly ground cardamom
- Rose syrup
- Ghee
- Rose water
Pistachio Katli
- Raw pistachios
- Raw cashews
- Granulated sugar
- Freshly ground cardamom
- Ghee
How do you make the Pistachio Rose Katli?
The Pistachio Rose Katli is made essentially in 3 steps:
Step 1:
- Make the Rose Katli. Start off with water and granulated sugar, boil it for 2 minutes on medium heat along with rose syrup, which gives it a beautiful pink color. You want a syrupy consistency. Then add the finely ground and sieved cashews and mix well. The mixture will be sticky, but that is ok, add the ghee at this point. It will slowly thicken and leave the sides of the pan nicely, without sticking. That is when you are done mixing it.
- Add the dough onto a parchment paper, and keep it covered and let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Then add rose water to the dough and use a plastic dough scraper to knead the dough (since the dough is hot to touch), and knead for 5 minutes, or until you can see that it is smooth in texture and leaves the parchment paper nicely (not sticky)
- Cover with another parchment paper and then roll it thin into ¼ inch consistency, into a rough rectangle.
- The pink color comes from the rose syrup and no additional color required.
Step 2:
- Make the Pistachio Katli. Start off with water and granulated sugar, boil it for 2 minutes on medium heat along with cardamom. You want a syrupy consistency. Then add the finely ground and sieved pistachios and cashews and mix well. The mixture will be sticky, but that is ok, add ghee at this point. It will slowly thicken and leave the sides of the pan nicely, without sticking. That is when you are done mixing it.
- Add the dough onto a parchment paper, and keep it covered and let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Then use a plastic dough scraper to knead the dough (since the dough is hot to touch), and knead for 5 minutes, or until you can see that it is smooth in texture and leaves the parchment paper nicely (not sticky)
- Cover with another parchment paper and then roll it thin into ¼ inch consistency, into a rough rectangle.
Step 3:
- This step needs to be done a bit fast, where you layer the pistachio layer on top of the rose layer, cover with parchment paper and roll it with light pressure to adhere the two katli layers.
- Next add the edible silver foil all over the katli. Trim off the edges and then cut the katli into diamond shaped mithais.
Most important tips
- Mis en place: make sure all your ingredients are laid out before you delve into making the recipe.
- Organize your space and your thoughts to ensure you get the best results.
- Parchment paper should be ready to go for rolling out the 2 katlis separately.
- Have a ruler and sharp knife nearby to cut the katli into perfect little diamond shapes.
- Use freshly ground cardamom to get the best cardamom flavor in the katli.
What other flavored katlis can I make?
- Saffron: Make saffron katlis by adding saffron to the water mixture.
- To maximize the blooming of saffron, add a bit of saffron in a mortar pestle and grind it to a fine powder. Add this to the water mixture and see the water turn a beautiful orange.
- Mango: Add mango juice to the water/sugar mixture. Proportions is something that you will have to work with aka trial/error. Or you can wait until I have a recipe for it!
- Strawberry: Add freeze dried strawberry powder to the water and again the ratio of water might have to be slightly higher, since we are adding more solids to the water sugar mixture.
The possibilities are endless!
How do you grind the cashews/pistachios into a fine powder? What machine do you use?
I use a Nutribullet to grind the cashews and pistachios into a fine powder. You have to not over grind else the nuts will start releasing it’s natural oils. Once you grind into a fine powder, strain it through a medium sieve to remove the bigger particles, and gind them again and repeat the process until you have all the nuts ground and strained.
What kind of rose syrup do you use?
For the rose syrup, get it from the Indian store. There are a couple of brands that you can buy. Rooh Afza is one of them which is the oldest and one of the popular brands.
What kind of rose water do you use?
My absolute favorite rose water is the Nielsen-Massey rose water. I have had the bottle for 3-4 years and it is not even half used. It is worth the price and a little bit goes a long way. The rose water is extremely potent and provides a wonderful edible rose flavor to the end product.
Where do I get the plastic dough scraper from?
Here is the version of the plastic dough scraper that I use.
Where do you get your edible silver foil from?
I get edible silver foil or varakh from Amazon.
How do I store the Pistachio Rose Katli?
The Pistachio Rose Katli can be stored in an airtight container and kept outside in a cool place.
For how long can I store the Pistachio Rose Katli?
The Pistachio Rose Katli can be stored for upto a month.
Other Pistachio and Rose inspired desserts are linked here:
- Thandai Cookies with Pitachio-Rose Buttercream
- Fennel Shortbread with Pistachio Buttercream
- Pistachio Swiss Roll with Rose Whipped Cream
If you make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Pistachio Rose Katli
Ingredients
Rose Katli
- 175 grams raw cashews
- 1/3 cup water (70 grams)
- 140 grams granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
- 3 tablespoons rose syrup
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1/4 teaspoon rose water
Pistachio Katli
- 125 grams raw pistachios
- 50 grams raw cashews
- 1/3 cup water (70 grams)
- 140 grams granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Decoration
- Edible gold leaf
- Edible rose petals
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method
Rose Katli
- Finely grind the cashews in a high speed blender. Do not over grind else the nuts will start releasing their oils. Strain the ground cashews through a medium sieve into a medium bowl to get a uniform mixture. If there are a lot of bigger particles left, grind them again in the high speed blender and strain again.
- In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, add the water and granulated sugar, along with the cardamom and rose syrup. Once the sugar dissolves, the water will come to a boil – this will take about 2 minutes.
- Immediately, add the ground cashews, and using a rubber spatula, start stirring the mixture continuously and pressing the mixture against the pan with the spatula, and continue this process for about 8 to 9 minutes. You can lower the temperature slightly half way through the process and add ghee at this time as well.
- The mixture will be sticky initially, but you have to keep mixing it.
- You will know that the mixture is close to done when it leaves the sides of the pan as you are stirring it with the spatula. The mixture will not be as sticky. Do not overmix after 8 or 9 minutes. As the mixture cools down, it will dry out and harden.
- Immediately add the mixture onto a parchment paper, spread it out slightly. Cover with another parchment paper to seal in the moisture. Let it sit there for about 3 minutes to cool down slightly, so you can handle it.
- After it has cooled down slightly, add the rose water to the dough and use a plastic dough scraper to knead the dough. Knead the mixture for about 3 to 4 minutes, to smoothen the dough.
- Place another parchment paper on top of the dough and roll it out to about ¼ inch thick into a rectangle about 10×15 inch rectangle. Keep the rose katli covered while you prepare the pistachio katli.
Pistachio Katli
- Finely grind the cashews in a high speed blender. Do not over grind else the nuts will start releasing their oils. Strain the ground cashews through a medium sieve into a medium bowl to get a uniform mixture. If there are a lot of bigger particles left, grind them again in the high speed blender and strain again.
- Repeat the above for pistachios as well and strain the ground pistachios into the same cashew mixture bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, add the water and granulated sugar, along with the cardamom. Once the sugar dissolves, the water will come to a boil – this will take about 2 minutes.
- Immediately, add the ground cashews and pistachios, and using a rubber spatula, start stirring the mixture continuously and pressing the mixture against the pan with the spatula, and continue this process for about 8 to 9 minutes. You can lower the temperature slightly half way through the process and add ghee at this time as well.
- The mixture will be sticky initially, but you have to keep mixing it.
- You will know that the mixture is close to done when it leaves the sides of the pan as you are stirring it with the spatula. The mixture will not be as sticky. Do not overmix after 8 or 9 minutes. As the mixture cools down, it will dry out and harden.
- Immediately add the mixture onto a parchment paper, spread it out slightly. Cover with another parchment paper to seal in the moisture. Let it sit there for about 3 minutes to cool down slightly, so you can handle it.
- After it has cooled down slightly, use a plastic dough scraper to knead the dough. Knead the mixture for about 3 to 4 minutes, to smoothen the dough.
- Place another parchment paper on top of the dough and roll it out to about ¼ inch thick into a rectangle about 10×15 inch rectangle. Keep the rose katli covered while you prepare the pistachio katli.
Assembly and Decoration
- Remove the parchment paper from the pistachio katli, and quickly align it on top of the rose katli. Cover with parchment paper and roll over it a few times for the two layers to adhere. Remove the parchment paper.
- Gently add the edible silver foil all over the katli in different places, you do not need to add it all over. You will have to add a few edible silver squares to cover the katli here and there.
- Using a ruler and a sharp knife, cut off all the uneven edges to form a clean rectangle. Measure and cut straight lines across the width of the bar, about 1 ¼ inch apart.
- Starting at the left hand corner, using the ruler and knife, measure and cut straight lines, diagonally across the bar, about 1 ¼ inch apart to get diamond shaped bars. You will have some end pieces which are not exactly diamond shaped.
- Place them on a serving platter, and garnish with edible rose petals sprinkled on the top. Serve at your next party.
Note: The Pistachio Rose Katli will stay in an airtight container for upto a month.
Notes
How do you grind the cashews/pistachios into a fine powder? What machine do you use?
- I use a Nutribullet to grind the cashews and pistachios into a fine powder. You have to not over grind else the nuts will start releasing it’s natural oils. Once you grind into a fine powder, strain it through a medium sieve to remove the bigger particles, and gind them again and repeat the process until you have all the nuts ground and strained.
What kind of rose syrup do you use?
- For the rose syrup, get it from the Indian store. There are a couple of brands that you can buy. Rooh Afza is one of them which is the oldest and one of the popular brands.
What kind of rose water do you use?
- My absolute favorite rose water is the Nielsen-Massey rose water. I have had the bottle for 3-4 years and it is not even half used. It is worth the price and a little bit goes a long way. It is extremely potent and provides a wonderful edible rose flavor to the end product.
Where do you get your edible silver foil from?
- I get edible silver foil or varakh from Amazon.
How do I store the Pistachio Rose Katli?
- The Pistachio Rose Katli can be stored in an airtight container and kept outside in a cool place.
For how long can I store the Pistachio Rose Katli?
- The Pistachio Rose Katli can be stored for upto a month.
