Satiate your sweet cravings

Almond/Badam: 1 cup or 250 gms 

Sugar: 1.5 cups 

Boiled milk: 3/4 cup or 250 ml (at room temperature) 

Water: 3 cups (to blanch almonds) 

Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp 

Saffron threads: a few 

Ghee: 1 tbsp+ few drops for greasing

Take a plate and grease it with ghee. Keep aside. To blanch almonds, boil water. When the water boils, add the almonds. Let it boil for a minute. Switch off the flame and cover it with a lid. Let it sit for 5 minutes. 

Drain the water and add cold water to the almonds. Skin will come off easily. Keep all the blanched almonds  in the plate.  

Grind sugar to fine powder and set aside. In the same jar, grind almond to a coarse paste without adding milk. Wipe the sides of jar and add 1/2 cup of milk. Grind to a paste. Wipe the sides of mixer. Check if the almond paste is smooth. If not, add 1/4 cup more milk and grind it well.  

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick kadai. Add the ground almond paste and powdered sugar. Mix well in medium flame. Keep stirring. Flame should be low to medium. 

Initially, the mixture will become thin as the sugar melts. Add the cardamom powder and keep stirring.  

Now the mixture will start to thicken. Mixture will bubble vigorously. Keep stirring because the bottom layer may burn quickly. 

Keep mixing till the mixture becomes thick. Wipe the sides of the pan, while stirring it. When you keep on mixing, mixture turns thicker and it will start to leave the sides of pan. Wipe the sides and again stir it. At one stage, the mixture will become really thick and resembles a soft dough. At that time, switch off the flame and mix for few seconds.

Grease your fingers with ghee and take a pinch from the dough. Try to make a small ball. If you are able to make a soft, round ball, your katli is done. Give a quick stir and make it thicker. The heat of kadai is sufficient to make your mixture thick. 

Do not stir more else mixture will become crumbly and you will not be able to shape it properly. But if you remove it before the correct stage, it will taste like halwa. So try to make a small ball, check the consistency and then remove it at the right time. 

Transfer the katli  mixture to the greased plate. If you wish, you can knead it using your hands after it turns slightly warm. You can also flatten it with rolling pin. For this, cover the dough with a butter paper and level the mixture using a rolling pin. Roll it according to the thickness you need.  

Remove the butter paper and cut the katli into pieces using a ghee greased knife, when the mixture is warm. But do not try to remove the pieces when the mixture is warm. It may break the katli. Store in a box.

Homemade or store bought rasgulla: 5-6 nos 

Boiled full cream milk: 1 cup (use full fat milk) 

Condensed milk: 1/2 cup 

Chopped nuts: a handful (cashews, almonds and pista) 

Kewra essence: few drops (optional) 

Crushed cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp or rose drops, few drops 

Saffron threads: a few

In a wide mouthed kadai, take the boiled milk and condensed milk. Mix well and boil for 5 minutes on medium flame. 

Collect the milk skin ( malai ) that settles on the sides of kadai and add milk. Now check for taste and add more condensed milk, if needed. Mix well and boil for a minute. In the meantime, chop the nuts and set aside. 

Add the chopped nuts, few saffron threads, essence and cardamom powder/ rose water. Stir well and switch off the flame.  

Take the rasgulla and press it gently using your hands or lemon squeezer to drain the water in it. Flatten it and add it to the milk mixture.  

Refrigerate for an hour and serve.

Wheat flour/maida: 1/2 cup (you could use 1:1 ratio too) 

Corn flour: 1/2 tablespoon (you could use baking powder too) 

Fennel seed powder: 1/4 teaspoon

Cardamom/elaichi powder: 1/4 teaspoon

Salt: big pinch

Milk, full fat: 1/2 cup (or) as needed

Oil: 1/4 cup

Sugar: 3/4 cup 

Water: 3/4 cup 

Saffron: 5-6 strands

Desiccated coconut/fresh: 500 gms 

Sweetened condensed milk: 395 ml tin 

Cardamom seeds from: 10 pods 

Almonds, pista (toasted and chopped): 15

If you use fresh coconut, slightly roast to remove the moisture content (do not allow to brown). 

Heat a non-stick pan over low flame, add 400 gms of coconut, condensed milk and cardamom to the pan. Stir until the mixture starts to dry and rolls easily into a ball.  

Remove from heat and leave for 5–10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. 

Place the remaining coconut on a plate. Wet your hands slightly and roll the barfi mixture into balls and then roll in coconut. 

Another option of making it is placing the mixture in a rectangle tray, wellgreased with ghee with a layer of coconut spread on it. Press well with the backside of the ladle and cover with coconut. Place nuts on top of each piece. Cool and cut into pieces and serve. This can be stored in the refrigerator for a week. You can also make ladoos with the same mixture.