Its Diwali in two days, the festive and beautiful times of the year, when we forget what is going on with our busy schedules and gather with loved ones and celebrate for different reasons. As some of you may not know, this day has a deep significance for the Sikh community. They celebrate it as Bandi chor diwas, which means day of liberation.
The Sikh history holds that on this day their 6th Guru, Guru Hargobind, who was imprisoned at Gwalior fort was released and returned to Amritsar. While serving imprisonment, he campaigned for the improvement in living conditions at the Gwalior fort and won the hearts of people around him including emperor Jahangir. He was also successful in winning the freedom for 52 Hindu kings, who had long been imprisoned there for political reasons. He could have left the fort alone when he was offered the chance. However, he stood up for the rights of others and cleverly used the orders of Emperor Jahangir. The emperor laid the condition that only those kings will be released “whoever can hold onto the Guru’s cloak”. The Guru arranged for a special robe a huge one, with 52 tails which the princes held on to one each and was allowed to leave. Thus Guru became known as the liberator (Bandi chor) and graced on arrival with thousands of lamp at Golden temple Amritsar, in the same way as the lord Rama in Hindu Diwali celebration.
The historical event is a reminder to look beyond ourselves and use the privileges that has been bestowed upon us, for others who are less fortunate. It brings about unity and instills charity in the hearts of people. Over the years, besides exchanging gifts and sweets with family and friends, we have developed a habit of empathy. We reach out in giving to the communities via food banks, hospitals, animal shelters and other registered charities. By helping others we are in turn giving ourselves a nice little bonus of happiness.
My day on Diwali begins like other days but with a general happy feeling. I wake up early as usual, do my prayers, have breakfast with family and then I call my extended family and wish them happy Diwali. The rest of the day goes busy doing other chores and making last minute savories and sweets. Usually the preparation and exchanging of gifts start weeks in advance but there are few people who visit on Diwali day. Then around 5 in the evening I go to Gurdwara (Sikh temple) with my family to pay respect to holy book, do sewa (volunteer help) in the langar hall (where food is prepared and served daily) and light diyas (oil lamps). At night there are fireworks in the temple but we in general avoid that and come back to decorate our home with many colorful diyas and tea light candles (taking care not to cause fire). Every year someone from our friend circle host party on the day of Diwali and we all enjoy till late in the night., I should rather say morning because all our dinner parties start at 8-8:30 and ends around 2 in the morning. There is music, dance, games, laughter, card games and great food.
So folks, I wish everyone of you a very happy safe, joyous and sparkling Diwali with a special treat Kaju Katli. It is an elegant sweet made with cashew nuts and sugar. If you like you can decorate the burfi with silver varq (edible silver leaf) but it is not essential.
Ingredients
- 1.25 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- oil
Instructions
- Finely grind cashews to a powder in a coffee grinder.
- In a nonstick pan, mix sugar and water. Heat till small bubbles begin to appear on the sides.
- Stir gently and let it boil for two minutes until it achieves one string consistency.
- Add cashew powder and stir well to avoid lumps. Keep stirring the mixture for 3-4 minutes on low flame.
- Dump the mixture onto greased cutting board, foil or a plate ( the mixture will be grainy at this point but will become smooth after you knead), spread to get cool.
- When its cool enough to touch, knead well ( you can apply oil on hands for ease).
- Roll out with a rolling pin on a wax paper into a 1/4" thick rectangle.
- Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Cut into diamond shapes.
- Store in a container between sheets of wax paper at room temperature for a week or in fridge for longer.
Notes
To check one thread consistency of sugar, wet your forefinger and thumb, touch the syrup gently pull apart your forefinger and you will see a thin string is formed.
To test if the mixture is done after step 4, wet your fingers with water take a small piece of the mixture and roll. If you are able to roll it between your fingers then move on to step 5 or continue to cook for 1 more minute.
If the mixture gets dry and is difficult to knead, use a a tsp of water to soften.
Ansh | Spiceroots
Wish you a Very Happy Diwali and Bandi chor diwas. I will be making some Kaju Katli today. Hope they turn out as delicious as yours.
Balvinder
Thank you and happy Diwali to you as well!
Monica
Happy Diwali, Balvinder! It’s been really wonderful to hear and learn about this festival, with all the celebration and the spirit of giving involved too. I hope you have a wonderful day of celebration with your family. I adore cashew nuts and I really appreciate how simple your recipe is to tackle.
Balvinder
Thank you Monica, yes making kaju katli is really really simple if you get the cashew powder right.
Malti Sharma
Happy Diwali Neetu! Your write up have truly caught the spirit of Diwali, didn’t know the facts behind Sikh Diwali. And also didn’t know that making cashew burfi is that simple. We all really really love it. Yours look so thin just as we get from the sweet shop. I will get back to you when I try.
Balvinder
Thank you Malti for greetings and lovely comment, do let me know how did your kaju katli trial go. Happy Diwali to you and your family.
Amelia
Hi Balvinder, happy Diwali you and family. Great posting, thanks for sharing.
Your cashew nut burfi look delightful and so simple only 4 ingredients. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Have a lovely weekend.
Balvinder
Thank you so much Amelia. It was nice o hear from you.
Meena Kumar
Hi Balvinder,
Thank you so much for stopping by my space and for those lovely words.
Happy Diwali to you.
.Kaju Katlis does give me the festive feel.Looks yum.
Balvinder
Thank you Meena, When I see something good that catches my eye I don’t shy away from commenting. Hope you had fun on Diwali!
Blackswan
Balvinder, I enjoy coming here & learning about all the Indian dishes & their names. I’m a fan of cashew nuts too, & I’m sure I’ll take a fancy to these delights as well. I know you’re always missing out in my giveaways, so be sure to enter in my latest X’mas draw to Win Flenco Christmas Hampers Worth More Than $1,000!
Balvinder
I missed it again. Sorry Shirley,my right arm is bothering me these days and I don’t go on computer as much. Will visit you soon.
Sugar et al
Wish you a very Happy Diwali Balvinder! Nice to read about the history of Bandi Chor. Diwali cannot be complete without sweets especially Kaju katli…I love how simple the recipe is. And they look perfect too…just as they should be. Hope you have a great time with family.
Balvinder
Hi Sonali, I hope you had a wonderful Diwali. Thanks for appreciating, your kaju balls were good, too.
Coffee and Crumpets
Happy Diwali to you and your family Balvinder! I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. It was really nice to read about the history behind the holiday, I have learned a lot from my new blogger friends about their religious celebrations, I wish you all the best as you celebrate. What better way to celebrate then with these delicious mithai. So easy, but they are so good.
Nazneen
Balvinder
Nazneen, thanks a bunch for the greetings!
Needful Things
Happy Diwali!
I love kaju barfi and did not imagine it requires two simple ingredients. I am bookmarking this & definitely hope to make a batch next week.
Balvinder
Nice to hear from you! Thanks for the wishes and do let me know if you try kaju katli.
anne
Bal , you had me a cashew ! I tried it once before but with condensed milk 😀 It looks simple enough to make and I’m sure it taste fantastic !
Hope you’re having a great time celebrating your Diwali !
Balvinder
It taste wonderful! Thank you for the greetings!
Jennifer Eloff
Hope you have a Happy holiday. I love cashews….this is lovely! I am going to bookmark it, as I’m sure I could make sugar-free version sometime. Thanks, Balvinder. 🙂
Balvinder
Yes, I did Jennifer! Please do let me know when you make it sugar free version, I would love to try that.
Liz
What a simple, sweet treat! Wishing you a happy Diwali, my friend!!!
Kitchen Belleicious
so interesting. It sounds yummy and nutty and I can’t believe it is only 4 ingredients!
Katerina
Happy Diwali Balvinder! These are delicious little treats!
easyfoodsmith
I enjoyed reading your post Balvinder. I studied till standard 7th in a school run by Sikh community but seemed to have missed knowing this chapter of the Sikh history.
The kaju katli looks perfect and with kaju being in excess at my home (thanks to Diwali gifts), I know exactly what I am going to do with them. Its my daughter’s favorite sweet.
Balvinder
Now that seems strange to me that this important chapter of history was not in your curriculum. Enjoy making kaju katli!
Nami | Just One Cookbook
Ohhhhhhh! I love this one! I do remember I had this at my friend’s Diwali get together. I didn’t get a chance how my friend made it that time, but now I see how you made this. It was fun seeing step by step! I wish I can eat a few pieces for snack right now. 🙂
Anitha
I want to make badam burfi, will try your recipe with almonds and definitely share result with you. Kaju katlis are simply superb! I know you are on vacation at the moment. Enjoy!