Preheat the oven to 160°C. Lay peanuts in a baking tray in a single layer (Every peanut must touch the tray). Transfer the tray to the middle rack of the oven and roast peanuts for 8 minutes. Stir and continue roasting for another 8-10 min or until the peels feel slightly crunchy/the peels release the nuts. It takes altogether 20 min to reach this point. Peanuts roasted in the oven gets cooked evenly and leaves no burning mark/taste. They taste sweet and irresistibly delicious.

Peanuts can be roasted in tava over a stove top, but you have to roast it over the lowest heat while stirring continuously. Slightest burnt peanut will ruin the taste of the sweet.

Let the peanuts cool, then remove the skins by rubbing them between your palms and discarding the chaff.

Grease a plate or tray with a little ghee.

Pulse the roasted peanuts in a mixer jar to make evenly coarse-to-fine powder, being careful not to grind continuously to avoid releasing oil. (Even when you pulse them, there will come a time when the powder will look darker and feel slightly oily. DO NOT GRIND BEYOND THIS POINT.) Also stir the powder in between the pulses. You do not want pieces in the powder. It should be evenly grinded. You may want to sieve using the soup sieve if needed. Measure 2 cups of powder for the recipe.

In a non-stick pan, combine ¾ cup sugar and about ⅓ cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil until it reaches a 1-string consistency. Ensure to stir while scraping out the sugar stuck on the sides throughout the process. This process should take altogether 6-7 min. Watch the video of mandvi paak recipe by FOOD Ganesha to achieve perfection. Chasni is the deciding factor of the sweet.

Turn off the heat and add 1 tablespoon of ghee, cardamom powder, and milk powder/malai if using. Stir well to combine.

Slowly add 2 cups of ground peanut powder into the syrup while stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Keep mixing. The mixture will thicken as you mix and when its temperature slightly goes down. If you can shape it in a ball at this point, understand that it has achieved perfect consistency. If not - 1.you may add a tbsp of extra powder. 2. cook until the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan 3. Make a tbsp of very thick chasni and add.

Transfer the mixture to the greased tray and smooth out the top evenly using a spoon or spatula.

Garnish with chopped almonds and pistachios, pressing them gently into the surface.

Mark grid lines with a knife to form square pieces. Let it cool completely for 1–2 hours until set, then separate the pieces and serve.