Kaju Kalash - Desserts out of Cashew Nuts

A sweet delight to offer to guests, friends and family – or just to eat it yourself because it is so good!

How to make Kaju Kalash

You can either soak the cashew nuts for five minutes in water or you can wipe them with a wet kitchen towel to make them a little bit soft. This will make it easier to crush them which is your next step. Put them into a blender and make them really very fine, like flour.

Now you mix the sugar with the water in a pot which you then put on your stove to heat the mixture up on medium heat. Stir for about five minutes until it gets thicker and then add the cashew nuts. At this point you have to do some work with your arm in order to make a nice paste out of the mixture. Stir and stir until it looks like a dough for bread. It depends on the heat but in about five to seven minutes this should be achieved.

Now you take your pot off the heat and turn the stove off. You need to keep on stirring your dough though until it doesn’t stick to your pot anymore and doesn’t stick to your hand when you touch it. This may take another five minutes.

At this point you add the ghee into the pot and turn the dough in it. Take the dough out now and put it in a bowl or a big, deep plate. Cover it with a kitchen towel or another cloth. That cloth should not touch the dough.

After two minutes you can open it again and start forming small balls. Then use the tips of the fingers to form the top so that your sweet gets the form of a round vase. Some like bigger pieces, some smaller ones, it is up to you!

Now the actual Desserts is done, you just need to finish the decoration. You need to either soak your pistachios or lightly cook them to make them a bit soft. Then you peel their skin off and place one pistachio on top of each cashew ball. When you see this dish in Indian shops, you will notice that it is shining in silver – and yes, that is real silver! You can buy that silver paper yourself and stick it on your cashew balls – it is a bit difficult work but it really looks nice and elegant in the end! However you want to present your Kaju Kalash though, they will taste wonderful!