Dry Fruit Chikki is a popular and traditional ready to eat Indian candy made with a mix of almond, cashew, pista, sugar and ghee or oil. Traditionally dry fruits or sweets are given or received as gifts during diwali festival.

Dry fruit chikki is a yummy snack that is commonly prepared on Lohri, a popular harvest festival celebrated in the states of Punjab, Haryani, Delhi and some parts of Himachal Pradesh.

Preparation Time : 20 mins

Cooking time : 15 minutes

Servings : Depends

Ingredients:

• Almonds sliced 1/2 cup
• Pistachios sliced 1/2 cup
• Cashewnuts sliced 1/2 cup
• Ghee 1/2 tables
• Sugar 3/4 cup
• Green cardamom powder a pinch
• Saffron (kesar) a few strands
• Dried rose petals for garnish

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Take a baking tray and place almonds, pistachios and cashewnuts in it. Roast in the oven at 200°C for seven to eight minutes. Take a heavy rolling pin and grease it with ghee.
2. Similarly grease the worktop on which you are going to roll the chikki. Pour ghee into a thick-bottomed pan and add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron strands. Cook till it forms a thick syrup and turns light brown in colour. Remove from heat. Add roasted nuts, mix and immediately transfer onto the greased worktop.
3. Sprinkle dried rose petals and roll out with theeased rolling pin to one centimetre thickness. Make marks with knife while slightly warm. When cool, scrape with knife and cut into marked pieces. Store in an air-tight container.

Note:

Addition of ghee while making sugar syrup gives a nice glaze to the chikki.

Step by step Dry Fruit Chikki recipe:

1.. Firstly cut almonds, pista and cashew nuts into thin slices.

2.. To the pan add a tsp of ghee and roast all the mixed nuts for about a minute or two. This will enhance the tastes of nuts.Remove and keep aside to cool.

3.. Grease the tray or aluminum foil with the ghee. Similarly grease the rolling pin which you’re going to use for flattening the chikki. Next add a tsp of ghee to the pan. Rotate the pan such ghee gets coated to the pan.Add sugar ,spread and 2 tsp of water.

4.. Keep the flame high and keep stirring.When sugar starts melting reduce the flame to low. Once the sugar melts its start changing its color. This is known as caramelization or browning of sugar.Keep stirring continuously.Sugar syrup will change to light brown color.

5.. When sugar changes to light brown color, switch off and immediately add a pinch of baking soda and roasted mixed nuts.

6.. Mix nuts and caramelized sugar well.Pour it over greased slab and flatten using rolling pin. When it is warm draw lines according to desired shape. Once cool cut and store in air tight container. Enjoy delicious crispy crunchy Mixed nuts chikki.

Enjoy!