Vegan kaju pista
It occurred to me that it’s been a long while since I made any Indian dishes. Also, I never made an Indian dessert. So I did my research and decided that this week’s dessert should be vegan kaju pista – a dessert popular during Diwali (festival of lights). This is a smooth pistachio dough wrapped in a soft and sweet cashew dough. It is absolutely delicious.
These are two of my favorite ingredients when it comes to sweets, and they are also very good for your health, which I wrote about in the next section of this post. It was not too hard to make this recipe vegan, I just had to replace the powdered milk and butter with different ingredients.
Some health benefits
Many studies show that nut intake has a cholesterol-lowering effect, and there is emerging evidence of beneficial effects on oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular reactivity. Cashews help lower LDL and increase the carrying capacity for HDL. They are protein rich and can help you lose weight.
Eating cashews can boost your immune system and lower the risk of gallstones. They are also rich in essential minerals, including copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. This also means that they are super beneficial for your skin and hair.
Cashews contain nutrients that most people tend to forget about when they first start a vegan diet, but you really need those for your body to stay healthy, so make sure you incorporate them (and other nuts) in your meal plan (kaju pista or no).
Pistachios are high in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. They also boast several other important nutrients, including vitamin B6 and potassium. They contain fewer calories and more protein than most other nuts. Also, their essential amino acid content is higher than any other nut.
Eating pistachio nuts may aid weight loss. Studies show that eating pistachios may help lower blood cholesterol. It may also lower blood pressure more than other nuts. They may play an important role in promoting blood vessel health. That’s because they are rich in L-arginine, which, when converted into nitric oxide, helps dilate your blood vessels.
Pistachios have a low glycemic index, which might promote lower blood sugar levels.
I think these are some pretty good reasons to incorporate these ingredients into your meal plan. And if you need a good idea, I suggest you begin with this delicious vegan kaju pista.
Vegan kaju pista
Ingredients
125 g of pistachios (without the shell)
60 g of powdered sugar
2 tsp of plant-based milk (if needed)
1 tsp of matcha powder (optional)
250 g of cashews
125 g of regular sugar
80 ml of water
3 tsp of margarine
Directions
- It would be ideal if you could find raw, unsalted pistachios. If not, put the salted pistachios in some water and let them soak for about 2 hours. Remove the skin from each one with your fingers and wash them out with some more water.
- If you are using matcha powder for a more intense color, mix it in a small bowl with powdered sugar. Put the pistachios in a blender. If you use raw unsalted pistachios, add the plant-based milk to the blender and blend until all of the larger chunks are gone. If you soaked the pistachios you might not need to add the milk. Mix the pistachios together with powdered sugar/matcha and knead it into a smooth dough. Set aside.
- Prepare the cashew layer. Put the cashews in a blender and blend until you get cashew powder. Heat a non-stick pan on low heat, add the water and regular sugar. Let the sugar dissolve and keep stiring on low heat until you get a sugar syrup. The sugar syrup is ready when you can put a drop of it in a glass of water and it forms a ring which will not dissolve. You can also rub a drop between your fingers, if a single string forms when you move them apart, you’re good to go.
- Add the ground cashews to the syrup in the pan and mix until a dough starts to form. Then add the melted margarine and continue to stir. When everything is mixed together turn the heat off and keep mixing. When you are able to roll a small ball from a small piece of the dough, the cashew dough is ready.
- Allow the mix to cool down. Meanwhile, put a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface and grease it with some more melted margarine. Knead the cashew dough into a ball with your hands. Transfer it on the parchment paper and flatten it with your hands, place another piece of parchment paper on top and roll it into a flat circle with a rolling pin. Cut the circle in half with a knife.
- Take the pistachio dough and roll it into a thin sausage, cut it in half. Put each half on the straight side of each half circle. Then gently roll everything into a sausage (you can use the parchment paper as a guide). Cut it with a knife into equal smaller parts.
If you liked this recipe, make sure you check out my other recipes like:
– dark chocolate panna cotta in pistachio sauce
Feel free to tell me what you think about this in the comments below, or send me the pictures of your own vegan kaju pista. If you did something differently, I would also like to hear that, I’d love to see the things you come up with.
P.S. for more recipes like this and a bunch of other stuff, follow me on Instagram, @margo_drobi.
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