Boil water and soak the almonds in simmering water. Turn off the flame and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I use a hot pack / hot case to soak my almonds.

After half an hour, remove the almonds from the water and peel its skin. The almond skin would come out very easily.

Now again soak the peeled almonds in hot water for about 2 hours to soften it. This step is very important to make sure that we can grind the almonds very smooth. If we do not soak the almonds for the second time, we won’t be able to grind it smoothly and the katli will turn out little granular.

Warm the milk and add the saffron thread to it. We will need all the ½ cup of milk, so I warmed the whole milk and then added the saffron to it.

After the second soaking, drain the water and transfer the almonds to the blender / mixie jar. Slowly add the saffron milk and grind the almonds to a very smooth paste. Make sure the mixture is neither too thick nor too thin. It should be well ground. If needed add a little bit more water or milk.

In a heavy bottom (preferably nonstick) pan, Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and add the ground almond paste and the powdered sugar.

Stir well and cook the mixture over low-medium heat until it becomes a mass and starts to leave the sides of the pan and clinging to your ladle/spatula. The best past I noticed about this was you need to get it really stiff. So, don’t worry about losing the right stage and if it will become too crumbly. For the katli to set well it needs to become quite a solid mass in the flame.

Now turn off the heat and let it cool down until it is warm enough to handle.

Grease your hands with little ghee and knead the mixture well. This ensures that the katli is very smooth without any chunks.

Layer a piece of parchment over the work surface and grease it with a little ghee. Place the kneaded dough on the greased parchment and roll with a greased rolling pin. Roll until it is about ½ cm to ¾ cm thick.

Let it sit for about 20 – 30 minutes to set.

Using a ruler and a pizza cutter cut the katlis into desired shape and carefully remove them.

The katlis are ready to be served. Store in an air tight container. The katlis have a longer shelf life and can be refrigerated for up to a month.