Badam Katli (Almond Fudge)

Indian desserts have an endless variety, plus there are a lot of festival specific sweets too like the Gujiyas on Holi and Diwali, Rasmalai and Sevaiyyan for Eid and Ghevar for Teej, and so on. But then there are these ubiquitous desserts that can be had any day actually. They are loved by all. Badam Katli is one such favorite, it is that quintessential barfi or mithai which can be had on any occasion or festival but making your own during Diwali makes it even more special.

Badam Katli is a simple Indian sweet that is made with 4 ingredients only and can be made in under 30 minutes. I have added Ghee to this, but you can also add coconut oil or any flavorless oil to make a vegan version if you like. I have fond memories of eating Kaju Katli as a child from the most famous sweetmeat shop in a city close to our town. But we would get it during festivals or special occasions like birthdays only. Then I discovered this joy called Badam Katli which is a fudge made with Almonds and I love this more. I love making this often and since I discovered a big pack of almonds lurking in my freezer a few days back, I decided to make this right away.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
SERVINGS: 12-14pieces
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Low

INGREDIENTS: 

I have used a small bowl/katori for measurement, use the same cup for all the measurements.

1. Almonds/Badam – 3 cups
2. Sugar – 1.5 cups
3. Rose Water – 2 tablespoons
4. Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon
5. Saffron – a few strands
6. Milk  – 2 tablespoons
7. Ghee – 2 tablespoons (Coconut oil – for vegan version)
8. Silver wark – 1 sheet, optional

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

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1. Grinder
2. Non-stick kadhai
3. Baking Paper

RECIPE:

Badam Katli Mixture Preps –

1. Soak the almonds in 2 cups hot water for 15 minutes.
2. Peel the almonds next. It will come off very easily.

3. Spread the peeled almonds on a big plate on a cloth/paper towel for an hour or so.
4. Then add it to a pan on dry roast them for 1-2 minutes to completely dry them out. Keep stirring so that they don’t get brown.
5. Grind the almonds in the grinder to get a fine powder. This is almond meal.
6. Take a non-stick pan and add 1.5 cups of sugar to it with 1 cup of water.
7. Add a few drops of roasted rose water and freshly ground cardamom. Mix some saffron strands in a little warm milk and add it to the sugar syrup.
8. Cook the sugar syrup on high heat until the sugar melts, then reduce the heat a little bit. Keep stirring until you get a thick syrup of one-string consistency.

9. Now add the almond meal and mix well. Keep mixing constantly and the mixture would begin to thicken.
10. Add a tablespoon of ghee to it.
11. Once it’s cooked and starts leaving the sides clean, then it’s done.

Making Badam Katli slices –

12. Place it on a butter paper and add a tablespoon of ghee and brush it on the dough. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes until it reaches a workable temperature.
13. Wet your hands and start working the mixture to make a nice smooth crack free dough. I added a few drops of water to reach the right soft dough.

14. Once the dough is ready, flatten it with a rolling pin and get a flat circular shape of about a half-inch thickness.
15. Cut it into diamond-shaped pieces and add some silver wark and some almond pieces on top and allow it to cool for half an hour and get firm. You can also decorate with pistachios, dried rose petals, or anything else.

13. Store the Badam Katli in an airtight container.