Festive With Healthntrends: Anjeer Kaju Roll

Make the very popular anjeer kaju roll at home for Diwali with this recipe from Chef Suraj Kumar Sahoo

“This dessert is considered to be one of the healthiest and most popular desserts at Diwali time,” Suraj Kumar Sahoo, Executive Chef, Novotel Vijayawada Varun, reveals. “Anjeer is a rich source of vitamins and minerals and is considered very sacred in Ayurveda and other traditional medicines.”

Anjeer Kaju Roll
Ingredients
200 g cashew nut
400 g sugar
50 g ghee (divided usage)
300 g dry figs (anjeer)
100 g pista + extra to garnish
50 g dates
1 g saffron
50 g poppy seeds

Method

1. Soak the cashew nuts for two hours. Drain and grind to a fine thick paste. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly.
2. Heat a non-stick kadai and cook this sugar-cashew nut mixture over a low flame with a little ghee for 15 minutes to the  consistency of a thick dough. Remove from the flame and set aside to cool.
3. Soak the anjeer for one hour, drain and grind to a rough paste.
4. Heat the remaining ghee in the same non-stick pan, and add the anjeer paste. Cook on a low flame for 10 to 12 minutes until the mixture is like a soft dough. Remove and set aside for cooling.
5. Dry roast the pistas and grind to a fine powder. Set aside
6. Divide the sugar-cashew nut dough into half. To one half, add the pista powder and mix thoroughly to get the pista-cashew nut dough for stuffing.
7. Soak the saffron in one tablespoon of warm water. Add the saffron mixture to the second half of the sugar-cashew nut dough and mix well.
8. To assemble the kaju anjeer roll, baste a chapati rolling board with ghee (to ensure the dough does not stick to the board when rolling).
9. With the rolling pin, roll out the cashew nut-saffron dough to a long cylindrical shape. Carefully set aside.
10. Roll out the anjeer dough like a roti using the rolling pin. Repeat with the pista-cashew dough on top of the anjeer sheet. Then place the saffron cashew roll on one side of the sheet. Gently roll together to get the desired roll shape.
11.  Now spread the poppy seed on top of the work table and roll the final anjeer dessert over it to get a coating. Keep the dessert in the freezer for a few hours until firm enough to cut.
12.  Cut the chilled dessert into roundels. Garnish with chopped pistachios.

Image: Novotel Vijayawada Varun

Also Read: #FeastingWithHealthntrends: Gond Aur Gulkand Ke Laddoo