Almond Pista Roll ( பாதாம் பிஸ்தா ரோல் )

Almond Pista Roll ( பாதாம் பிஸ்தா ரோல் )

Ingriedients:

Raw Almonds  ( பாதாம் பருப்பு )  : 2 1/2 cups

Raw unsalted Pistachios ( பிஸ்தா பருப்பு )  :  1 cup

Powdered sugar  ( பொடித்த சக்கரை )  :  3 cups

Clarified butter/ Ghee  ( நெய்  ) : 4 tsp

Green food color ( பச்சை கலர்) ( optional )  : 4 drops

  Steps:

Soak the almonds and pista separately for minimum one hour. 

Peel the skin of the nuts.

In a dry mixie jar, add sugar and grind to get a fine powder.

Add badam and grind to a fine paste. Use very less water, may be 1 or 2 tsp. Grind until you get a buttery consistency.

Repeat  with the pistachios.

Soaked almonds and pistas are peeled and ground to a fine paste.

                                                                                                                    

Take 2 heavy bottom sauce pans or any utensil suiting the purpose. Both the almonds and the pistas are to be cooked simultaneously. 

 Add 2 cups of powdered sugar in one and the other cup of sugar in the second pan. Let it melt and form a syrup. When a single string consistency of sugar syrup is formed, add the almond paste to the first and the pista paste to the second.

 Cook in a low flame, stirring continuously. 

  In between add a tsp of ghee so that the mixture doesn't stick to the pan. As the mixture is cooked, it leaves the sides and rolls into a ball. When felt between fingers, it should not stick to the fingers.That is the time it has to be removed from fire.
Transfer to a bowl and let it cool down. While still warm, knead it like you would do a dough.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 





Roll the pista dough into thin rod shaped strips. A bigger portion of almond mixture is rolled out into a flat base like a chapathi. place the pista, roll the almond to cover it. Cut into rolls of desired length.
Repeat the steps with the remaining dough.

My Notes:

My younger sister tried this recipe after watching in a cookery show, more than a decade ago. It was a hit and she prepares this quite often. I got the recipe from her and tried my hand at it. In the last few years trying out and taking note to remove the flaws each time. There are different methods in various cookbooks but this worked for me.

While grinding, adding less water will give a better consistency for faster cooking while adding to the sugar syrup. Or else will take a longer time to cook. Milk can also be used instead of water. 

Though I have mentioned the food color in the ingredient list, I refrain from using it. Natural pista color is fine but then its personal choice. You can go ahead as there are natural / organic food colours  available in the market now a days.

I have used sugar for moderate sweetness. Can increase the amount of sugar as desired.

A long process but the sight of our very own rolls done and loved ones relishing on them wipes away the tiresome and makes you happy.

 My younger son, who has a sweet tooth, enjoys this sweet treat.

My niece, sister in law' daughter, likes almond based sweets like the almond pista roll and kaju katli very much and is a pleasure to prepare this for her.