Indulge in sweet treats

The festive season of Diwali is not complete without a round of lip-smacking delights. Brighten up your evenings with Taj Mahal saffron.

Kaju Kesar Katli
Ingredients
2 gms Taj Mahal saffron
4 cups cashewnut powder
2 cups fine sugar
1 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp milk
2 cups of water
3 sheets Varakh (silver paper)
Method
. Take a deep non-stick pan and pour in 2 cups of water and sugar. Over a high flame, stir till the sugar dissolves. Add milk and collect the scum that rises to the surface with a ladle, and remove out of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook till the syrup becomes string and fairly hard.
. Turn the heat off. Sprinkle in all the cashewnut powder and mix well. Add in the saffron. Continue to mix till the mixture is smooth and pliable.
. Empty out the mixture onto a flat surface. Let the mixture cool down and knead well with your hands.
. Grease a table top with ghee and roll out the mixture to ½ centimeter thick.
. Decorate with silver foil, cut into diamond shapes and serve.
 
Kesari Shahi Tukda
Ingredients (makes approx. 25 pieces)
½ medium-sized loaf of sliced bread
250 gms ghee (clarified butter)
50 gms sugar
40 gms Sandesh cream for topping
5 gms pista (pistachios) to garnish
Taj Mahal or Safinter saffron to garnish
Varakh (silver leaf) to garnish
Method
. Cut each slice of bread into four pieces.
. Deep fry the slices in ghee on low heat until brown.
. Prepare sugar syrup by boiling the sugar with water.
. Soak the bread slices in the sugar syrup for two to three minutes. Remove and keep aside.
. On each bread slice, add the topping of Sandesh cream and varq, then garnish with Taj Mahal or Safinter saffron threads and pistachios.
 
Kesar Peda 
Ingredients
250 gms unsweetened Khoya
3 tbsp sugar
20-25 Taj Mahal saffron/kesar strands
2 tbsp hot milk
A pinch cardamom powder
1/2 tsp ghee (if required)
1/2 tbsp sliced pista (pistachios)
Method
. Soak the saffron in hot milk for 5 mins.
. Crumble or grate khoya (milk simmered on medium heat in an iron pan for several hours). In a pan, take khoya, sugar and mix well cooking in slow flame for 2 mins while stirring continuously.
. Let the sugar dissolve completely. When the khoya thickens up, add the saffron soaked milk and mix well. Stir continuously.
. Add cardamom powder when the mixture thickens again, then turn off the fire. Leave it to cool.
. Once cool (but still slightly warm), knead the khoya into a smooth dough for 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of ghee first to prevent it from sticking to hands.
. Divide the dough into 10 or 11 pieces, roll between palms to make smooth ball. Press gently and make a slight dent in centre with a finger, then decorate with pistachio slices.
. Keep aside to let them set and cool. Store in an air-tight container, and consume within 2-3 days. Remember to keep it refrigerated.

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