Prepare Shufta, A Dry-Fruit Loaded Kashmiri Sweet Dish

Name: Prepare Shufta, A Dry-Fruit Loaded Kashmiri Sweet Dish
Prep time: 20
Cook time: 40
Total time: 60
Ingredients: 200 g Paneer (cut into small cubes); 4 tbsp Ghee; 0.5 cup Sugar; 0.5 cup Water; 0 g A generous pinch of saffron strands; 10 piece Sliced almonds; 10 piece Cashews (halved); 8 piece Walnuts (broken into pieces); 6 piece Dried, chopped apricots; 8 piece Dried, chopped dates; 2 tbsp Grated or silvered coconut; 2 tbsp Raisins; 0.5 tsp Crushed black pepper; 0.5 tsp Green cardamom powder; 0.25 tsp Cinnamon powder; 0 g A pinch of dried ginger powder (sonth)

Shufts is a traditional Kashmiri dessert that features sugar-coated chunks of paneer (cottage cheese), a range of ghee-fried dry fruits, sprinkled with spices like cardamom powder, black pepper, and cinnamon powder.

Contributed By

OT Staff

October 8, 2025

Festive dessert recipes

Shufta is a traditional Kashmiri delicacy specific to the Kashmiri Pandit community, prepared during various festivals and celebrations. The dessert uses a range of sugar-syrup-coated dry fruits. Paneer (cottage cheese), cashews, almonds, apricots, dates, and raisins are shallow-fried in ghee before being rolled in a sugar syrup.

While preparing the sweet dish, one has to be careful about how much each ingredient is fried. Paneer needs to be ghee-fried until it turns golden brown. Dry fruits, such as cashews, almonds, dates, and apricots, should be fried until they release a distinct aroma. Raisins and grated coconut must be fried at the very end because they fry and turn brown faster than the other ingredients.

As we are in the midst of the festive season, shufta will make for an easy-to-make and quick dessert for your celebrations and gatherings.

Kashmiri Shufta Recipe

Quick Info

Prep Time 20 min

Cook Time 40 min

Total Time 60 min

Servings 4

Difficulty medium

Ingredients

Paneer (cut into small cubes) - 200 g
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 0.5 cup
Water - 0.5 cup
A generous pinch of saffron strands - 0 g
Sliced almonds - 10 piece
Cashews (halved) - 10 piece
Walnuts (broken into pieces) - 8 piece
Dried, chopped apricots - 6 piece
Dried, chopped dates - 8 piece
Grated or silvered coconut - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Crushed black pepper - 0.5 tsp
Green cardamom powder - 0.5 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 0.25 tsp
A pinch of dried ginger powder (sonth) - 0 g

Instructions

Step-1

Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over a gentle flame. Add the paneer cubes and fry them lightly until they turn golden on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Step-2

In the same ghee, fry the almonds, cashews, walnuts, apricots, and dates separately, until they release a light aroma. Add coconut slivers and raisins last, as they brown faster. Set all the fried dry fruits aside.

Step-3

In a separate saucepan, combine sugar and water to make a light syrup. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the saffron strands and let them infuse the syrup with their rich golden hue and aroma.

Step-4

Now, add the fried paneer and all the dry fruits into this saffron syrup. Mix gently so that every piece is coated in the fragrant sweetness. Sprinkle the black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and dried ginger powder, and stir carefully on low heat until the syrup thickens and everything glistens beautifully.

Step-5

Remove from heat and serve warm. Garnish with a few extra almond slivers or a thread of saffron on top.

Recipe