10 Day Durga Puja and Navratri Sweets Special: Dry Mithai

Need some ideas on what dry mithai you can make ahead for the occasion of Navratri, that won’t spoil easily? Try the classic kaju katli, coconut burfi, and/or dry fruit ladoo that is also perfect for gifting, and can also serve as the Navratri Prasad for Nine Days or lesser. You can also handmake and distribute these sweets on Vijay Dashami or Dusserah too.

Kaju Katli (Makes 15 pieces)

Ingredients

• 140 gm raw cashew nuts
• 100 gm white sugar
• 2 tsp ghee
• 60 ml water
• Optional: silver leaf or vark for decorating

Instructions

1. Add the raw cashew nuts into a mixer grinder and grind until you have a coarse and crumbly mixture, it might be a little moist, courtesy of the oils released from the cashews.
2. You can also do this in smaller batches to avoid overcrowding the grinder. Once all cashew nuts are powdered, keep it aside.
3. Put sugar and water in a non-stick pan and heat over medium flame, bringing to a boil.
4. Keep stirring until the sugar completely dissolves, and you get a slightly thicker consistency of syrup that coats the back of your spatula. This should take around two to three minutes.
5. Add the powdered cashew nuts and reduce the heat. Keep stirring continuously and cook for about 10 minutes. The mixture will start to leave the sides of the pan and thicken as you stir.
6. The mixture may look a bit coarse due to the powdered cashew nuts, it’s fine like that.
7. Just before taking off the heat, add ghee and transfer it to a plate. Let it cool down until you it is warm to the touch of your fingertips.
8. Knead gently, adding more ghee if necessary, until all of the crusty and dry parts have ghee in them. This won’t take more than two minutes.
9. Be careful not to exert too much pressure when kneading otherwise you might have a tough dough prone to breaking. You should soon have a very smooth and warm dough.
10. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and place another on top of it. Roll out the dough with the paper intact into a square or circle with an even 6 mm thickness.
11. While still warm, score the surface with a sharp knife into diamond shapes and let it cool.
12. Once cool, separate the pieces, serve or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Coconut Burfi (Makes 20 pieces)

Ingredients

• 300 gm grated coconut
• 400 gm sugar
• 120 ml milk
• 2 tbsp cream, optional
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder

Instructions

1. Grate fresh coconut, measure 300 grams of it, and add it to a big kadai, then add sugar and pour the milk over it.
2. Mix well over medium flame until the sugar dissolves completely, and keep cooking, stirring sometimes until it thickens. This should take about 10 minutes.
3. If using cream, add it now and keep cooking on medium flame, stirring often.
4. After about 20 minutes, you'll notice the mixture beginning to thicken significantly. At the 25-minute mark, the coconut mixture will start to separate from the pan.
5. Keep cooking until the mixture starts to hold its shape when mixed, then add cardamom powder and mix to incorporate.
6. Transfer the prepared dough onto a greased plate lined with baking paper and spread and press the mixture evenly to form a uniform block.
7. Allow the burfi to set for 10 minutes, or until it's firm yet warm to the touch. Once set, carefully unmold the burfi block.
8. While still warm, cut the block into even pieces using a sharp knife. Serve right away.
9. In case not for immediate consumption, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay well for up to a week.

Dry Fruit Ladoos (Makes 10 ladoos)

Ingredients

• 120 gm dates (around 15 pieces)
• 5 figs
• 2 tsp raisins
• 25 gm almonds
• 15 gm cashews, broken
• 20 gm pistachios
• 1 ½ tbsp mixed nuts, chopped
• 1 tsp melted ghee
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder

Instructions

1. Remove the seeds from the dates and chop the meat up roughly, then add to a mixer, run it two times, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
2. Take the figs next and chop them down finely. Grind the chopped figs and raisins together to create a coarse mixture. Add to a bowl and set aside as well.
3. Dry roast the nuts in a kadhai or pan, add to the mixer grinder and run it until the nuts are coarse powder. Leave aside.
4. In the same kadhai or pan on heat, add the contents of the two bowls, the dates, and the fig-raisin mix. Add the melted ghee and sauté for five minutes over low heat to soften the mixture.
5. Add the cardamom powder and mix to combine, then add the nut mixture from the grinder.
6. Sauté for a minute, mixing and moving the mixture around; then turn off the heat.
7. Let it cool for a few minutes, then add the mixed chopped nuts and mix.

8. Touch to check if you can handle the mixture with your bare hands, then scoop up a lemon-sized quantity and shape it into balls to form the ladoos. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up. Serve or pack and gift away.