Rava vadi - faux kaju katli

I made this recipe based on my memory of our neighbor in Pune, from decades ago. She had come over to our house during Diwali. She had brought sweets to share and was most excited for us to try out this sweet and guess what it was made of. All of us guessed that it was kaju katli and her grin just grew bigger. Finally she revealed to us that she had made this using rava and there were no nuts. These were very similar to these pink square vadis that used to be available at the kirana stores (local grocer) in a small transparent plastic cover. 

I had a very faint memory of the recipe and decided to try it based on my cooking experience. The end result was delicious. It looks like kaju katli and the texture is similar, so you can even serve this as a faux kaju katli for those who have nut allergies.

Ingredients
1 cup fine rava
1 cup milk
1/4  to 1/2 cup ghee

1 cup sugar (can increase by 1/4 cup, adjust to taste)

Method

Mix the rava and milk and let it soak for 5-6 hours at the minimum or overnight. Then add the sugar and ghee to the mixture. Put this mixture into it in a broad saucepan and cook this mixture on low heat, stirring frequently. Cook till it comes together as a dough. Once it starts getting dough like, take 1/4 tsp onto a plate, let it cool till you can touch it and try to roll it into a ball. If it is not sticky and you can roll it easily, then the mixture is ready. 

While it is warm, knead this dough well so that it comes together. Then roll it out into a 1/4 inch thickness and then cut into diamonds. To ensure it doesn't stick, apply ghee to the rolling pin as well as the surface you are rolling it onto. Or you can sandwich it between two parchment paper sheets and roll it out. Let it dry and it is ready to eat. It can take a day to dry it out so that it is firm. Store in the fridge.

Tips

If there are any lumps, press on them and as it thickens, they will dissolve. If you increase the heat, the color of the mixture will change as it will brown. It will still be delicious, so you can do that as well. It just won't look like kaju katli. 

Kaju Katli - Kaju Barfi - Cashewnut Marzipan

This is possibly the best known sweet or "mithai" in India. Most people from all corners of India know of this sweet and might have eaten it as well. Whenever, someone visits from India, they will invariably get a request for this wonderful delicacy. This is also one of the most expensive sweets. It is garnished with silver foil, which is reserved to garnish the best sweets. This sweet can be stored for a long duration as well. It is one of the sweets that can easily be found in Indian stores outside India as well. Now, generally most recipes call for a syrup to be made, which is a lenghty process. But do read on, because the best part about this particular recipe version is that it is the easiest method to make this sweet. Of course, it's one of my Mom's recipes. The method is so easy, that if you use this, this will be the easiest mithai you can make. Whip it  up for a special occasion, and you are sure to impress the fussiest guest.

Ingredients
raw cashewnuts
powdered sugar
(see the method below for the proportions)

Method
Start with the amount of cashews that you want to use. I would suggest using about 2 cups of cashews, if you plan to make it in a small quantity. Soak these in water for at least 4-5 hours, overnight would be best. Then drain the water and process the cashews to make a fine paste of the cashews. Measure the cashew paste. Then, measure an equal quantity of powdered sugar. Mix the two together and then start heating this mixture. Stir it and let it cook. Keep the temperature at a very low level while cooking to avoid any browning. Make sure to keep stirring the mixture so that it doesn't stick to the base of the pan and brown. As the mixture starts thickening, it will get more difficult to stir it around as it gets heavy and sticky. However, it is crucial that at this stage you stir it and do not let it stick to the base and brown. At this stage, test the consistency of the mixture. Take a small drop (it will be hot so be careful) and roll it between your fingers. If you can mould it into a ball (it will be like molten wax) and it retains its shape, then you can take it off the heat.

Let the mixture cool to a temperature where you can handle it. At this stage, knead the mixture into a ball like a dough ball. Then roll it out into a sheet which is about  half a centimeter in thickness. Then cut the dough into diamond shaped pieces (about 1.5 inches across). Keep these on a greased sheet (grease it with ghee/clarified butter). Kaju katli is ready when the diamond pieces have cooled down completely. Garnish with silver foil if available.

You can store it in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. It lasts in the refrigerator for upto a month.

Tips
The cashew paste must be very fine and there shouldn't be any grainy texture. Measure the sugar after you process the cashews. Both must be of equal measure. Use a large pan so that the evaporation rate is faster and that will make the cooking process faster. Use a non stick pan so that the mixture will not stick while cooking. The color should not change. It will be a grey, beige color mixture. Also, as the sugar melts, the mixture will start getting sticky and as the the cooking process comes closer to completion, it will get more difficult to stir it around. If you are cooking a large quantity, then it is advisable to take turns with someone else to stir it. Grease your hands with some ghee/clarified butter before you knead the cashew mixture to keep it from sticking to your hands.

I used a pound of cashews and that resulted in a very large quantity of kaju katli (over a 100 pieces).