Walnut Chikki

Keep your festive spirits soaring as the first festival of the year is here. Observed across India, Makar Sankranti marks the end of the winter solstice and the beginning of consistently longer days. Known for colorful decorations, music, kite flying, bonfires, and feasts, the festival is celebrated with family and friends. For most parts of India, this period is also a part of the early stages of the agricultural cycle, where crops have been sown and the hard work in the fields is mostly over. The time thus signifies a period of socializing and preparing delicacies dear to each part of the country. Adding a crunch of happiness and joy to the celebrations, we bring to you a delicious recipe of Walnut Chikki. Usually, Chikki is made using peanuts, but in this unique recipe, we have made chikki using some crunchy walnuts. Do try this recipe, rate it and let us know how it turned out to be by leaving a comment in the section below. Happy Cooking!Recipe by: By Shumaila Chahaun (California Walnut Commission)

INGREDIENTS

1cupwalnuts

150gmjaggery

1teaspoonghee

1/2teaspoonfennel seeds

How to make Walnut Chikki

Step 1

Roast 1 cup of walnuts in a pan on medium heat by constantly stirring for a few minutes. Remove from heat and chop into small pieces.

Step 2

Prepare the back of a baking tray/pan by greasing it with a little bit of oil and line it with parchment paper. Keep aside for now.

Step 3

In a thick bottom pan, add grated jaggery, 1 tablespoon water and let it melt. Once melted, then add ghee. Boil on medium low heat by stirring constantly. Keep cooking on low flame till it is smooth.

Step 4

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 jaggery syrup should come to a hard ball stage wherein when dropped in the water, and when pulled should not be stringy but brittle. Remove from flame once this stage is achieved.

Step 5

Mix in the walnuts and fennel seeds, and immediately spread out to theprepared pan. Top with another parchment paper, and using a rolling pin to flatten the mixture into a rough rectangle.

Step 6

Remove the top parchment, and while still warm, make marks and cut the chikki pieces. Let it cool down completely and store the chikkis in an air-tight container.