KAJU LOTUS | KAJU FLOWER–DIWALI SWEET RECIPES

Whenever i go to restaurants i have a look at the sweets section without fail.Some sweets would be really eye-catchy.One such sweet which caught my attention is kaju lotus.I wanted to try this for long time but i dint have any clue about it. Last year during diwali we bought aval vikatan magazine and i got Menu rani chellam’s diwali sweet recipes as supplementary..She had given the recipes of most popular sweets which had the recipe of kaju lotus too.She had told to use“liquid glucose” which is a colorless, odourless , sugar syrup like thing used in candies , jellies ets..So I bought from Nilgiris, jayanagar and  I tried as per the recipe for my anniversary. But i felt the sugar mentioned is too high and also the liquid glucose made the sweet little hard like candy. May be liquid glucose is used in sweet stalls to get a perfect shape.So this time i reduced the quantity of sugar and i tried as per the method of kaju katli without adding liquid glucose. Soon i’ll update a picture by using liquid glucose to know the difference. .If u make kaju katli , u can easily try this sweet. Its the same procedure with slight variations in the end.Do watch the video ( My small attempt ) for making the shape .U can try making kaju mango,kaju apple , kaju strawberry like in sweet stalls using the same dough.Hope mine looks like kaju lotus.Try to make 6 petals as given in the original recipe. I had cut around 8...I guess I’ll get the perfect shape in future.I am happy with the result for second attempt. I’ve given the tips to overcome the problems u get while making this sweet. Hope this post would be useful.. Do try and let me know friends..Surprise ur family with this sweet for diwali

INGREDIENTS

**YIELDS 6 - 7 FLOWERS

Cashew nuts – 1/2 cup Food color – Red & green Ghee – a tsp ( to grease the plate) Milk – 1 tsp ( optional) For syrup Sugar – 1/4 cup Water – 2.5 tbsp

METHOD

Powder the cashews at room temperature by stopping the mixie at regular intervals.Use pulse option if needed. ( I felt this as easy. One more way is , run the mixie continuously till u get a fine powder) Keep the food color and the ghee greased plate ready. ( I dint have liquid food color , so i added a pinch of food color in 1/2 tsp water  and used a few drops) Now in a vessel , add sugar and cover with water. Heat till it reaches ONE STRING CONSISTENCY. Now add the cashew powder immediately and stir continuously till it leaves the sides and becomes a thick , non-sticky dough..After adding the powder , it takes just 3-4 mins in low flame to reach this stage.Be alert. ( hover the image to c the timings).. ( This is the procedure for kaju katli. U can knead the dough, roll it to make shape )Stop here if u r making kaju katli ..Proceed for kaju lotus.. Now put the cashew dough in the greased plate and divide the dough into two parts using a spoon. Add few drops of red & green food color in each dough , mix it with spoon for uniform distribution.No problem even if it dint mix properly.We are going to knead it .. Leave it for 5 mins. Let it become warm.If u Remove the mixture( a few secs before) when it is like slightly sticky chapathi dough, u dont have to add milk. The dough will harden in few mins.If u miss this stage , no worries. If u feel the mixture is dry & crumbly , add 1/2 tsp milk in each half of the dough along with food color.I added 1/2 tsp milk in each dough before kneading.) After it is warm , apply ghee in ur hands & start kneading the dough to make it soft & non-sticky.Do the same for the other dough and start making the shape. Cover the dough while u make the shape to avoid drying. Make a big gooseberry sized ball with green dough and make it flat by pressing with ur palm.Take a ball of red dough and keep it in the center of green dough. Bring all the corners together and close it to make a ball.( Use the procedure of stuffing kozhukattai & paratha) ( while doing this u may get cracks,  dont panic. If u roll tightly , it will become smooth OR Add little more milk and knead the dough. But 1/2 tsp would be enough )  Make all the balls , cover it and give a setting time of 30 minutes.Now,Using a sharp Knife cut the ball to make a flower shape. While u make the shape , the mixture may leave oil. No problem ( hope this video helps for better understanding) I have given two videos .. Use whichever is convenient.. Adjust the number of petals as u like..As per the original book, the number of petals is 6. I made 7- 8.Use silver warq while rolling the balls if necessary..

METHOD–1

MAKE FLOWERS & ENJOY ! BY THE TIME U EAT , FLOWERS WILL BLOSSOM AND SMILE AT U

TIPS

The consistency of sugar syrup is very important here. One string should be compulsory. After adding cashew powder , keep on stirring till the cashew gets cooked and makes a dough .. To know the correct consistency , u can check by making a small ball which will be non-sticky.Dough will slide from the pan without sticking.. Try to knead the dough when it is warm.  If u feel the dough is dry and crumbly , add little milk. If the dough is correct , u may not need milk. U can directly start kneading and rolling..Adding milk may reduce the shelf life of the sweet, flatten the balls &u may not get the exact shape too.. Setting time of 30 mins is necessary for the balls. If u have added more milk to knead the dough , the milk will settle in the bottom of the ball after the setting time. No problem , just wipe it with a tissue and start cutting the shape. This sweet will come out well for sure if u have practice in making kaju katli. Beginners can also dare to give a try because if i make it,anyone can Try making the balls slighlty oval in shape to get the exact shape of kaju lotus as in sweet stalls..

Iam happy in sending this post to MJ Delight's event

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY DIWALI BYE..

Technorati Tags: DIWALI SWEETS,DIWALI SWEET RECIPES,KAJU LOTUS RECIPE,HOW TO MAKE KAJU LOTUS,KAJU FLOWER RECIPE,HOW TO MAKE KAJU FLOWER,KAJU SWEETS,CASHEWS,CASHEW NUT FLOWER,sWEETS SYRUP,SWEETS WITH STEP BY STEP RECIPES,KAJU FLOWER STEP BY STEP,KAJU FLOWER VIDEO,HOW TO SHAPE KAJU FLOWER WITH VIDEO