Khaju Pista Roll

Ingredients

The following are the ingredients needed to prepare Khaju Pista Roll,

• Cashews - 1 cup
• Pistachios - ½ cup 
• Sugar - ½ cup
• Powdered Sugar - 3 tablespoons
• Water - ¼ cup
• Milk/milk powder - 1 tablespoon
• Cardamom powder - ¼ teaspoon
• Ghee - 4 teaspoons

Optional ingredients:

• Green food color - a drop/a pinch
• Silver Vark - 1 sheet

Preparation Steps

For preparing the pista filling:

1. Divide half a cup of pistachios into two parts. Grind one part into powder and finely chop the remaining part of pistachios.
2. In a bowl add powdered pistachios, milk powder and powdered sugar.
3. Dilute green food color in a tablespoon of water and put it in the bowl. 
4. Alternatively, if milk is used instead of milk powder then it can be diluted in a tablespoon of warm milk.
5. Mix the contents into a thick paste. 
6. Add a teaspoon of ghee and continue to knead. Roll the dough into a ball and keep it aside.

For preparing the Khaju (cashew) dough:

1. Grind cashews to a fine powder, sieve and keep it aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the pan for sugar syrup. Add sugar and water. 
3. Let the sugar melt, add a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder and stir well.
4. Let the syrup cook until it attains one string consistency. 
5. At this stage, quickly add the finely powdered cashews and mix well.
6. Continue to stir and make sure it doesn't get burnt in the bottom part.
7. Add a tablespoon of ghee and keep stirring until it becomes a soft and non-sticky dough.
8. Take a pinch of the dough and try rolling it into a small ball to check its consistency.
9. Transfer it to a greased plate and let it cool down.

To prepare Khaju Pista rolls:

1. Grease your palm with ghee before getting ready to roll and prepare the sweet.
2. Take the pistachios dough and roll it into a thin and long log. Keep this aside.
3. Take the cashew dough and gently knead it into a big ball similar to chapati dough.
4. On the countertop or any flat surface place the cashew dough in between two greased butter papers/parchment papers and flatten it with a rolling pin.
5. The flattened dough must be slightly thick and rectangular in shape.
6. Place the rolled pistachios dough in the center of the flattened cashew dough.
7. Wrap and seal the sides by rolling the dough. 
8. Continue to roll until it is tightly sealed.
9. Carefully cover the roll with the silver vark sheet as it is so fragile and make sure it doesn't stick to your hands.
10. Cut the roll into equal-sized pieces. A piece can be approximately two inches in height. 
11. Refrigerate if needed, and it is ready to consume once it has set well.
12. If stored in an airtight container Khaju Pista rolls can stay fresh for a week or two.