Ingredients:

  • 1 cup California walnuts
  • 150g jaggery
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon ghee
  • 1/2 teaspoon saunf/fennel seeds

Preparation:

  1. Roast 1 cup of walnuts in a pan on medium heat, constantly stirring for a few minutes. Remove from heat, chop into small pieces.
  2. Prepare the back of a baking tray/pan- grease with oil/butter, and line it with parchment paper. Keep aside.
  3. In a thick bottom pan, add grated jaggery, water and let melt. Once melted, then add ghee. Boil on medium low heat, stirring constantly. Keep cooking on low flame till sugar consistency is correct.
  4. Remove from flame once this stage is achieved. Mix in the walnuts and fennel seeds, and immediately spread out to the prepared pan.
  5. Top with another parchment paper, and using a rolling pin flatten the mixture in a rough rectangle. Remove the top parchment, and while still warm, make marks and cut the chikki.
  6. Cool completely and store in air tight container.

Note: To check for the syrup to be ready, keep a glass of cold water on the side, and drop tiny amounts of the syrup. The sugar syrup should come to a hard ball stage wherein when dropped in the water it will harden to a small ball, and when pulled should not be stringy but brittle.