Happy holi friends! Today is the festival of colors which in India is known by different names like holi, dol, basant utsav and is celebrated throughout India. It is observed in the Spring season and is one of the most popular festivals in India. During my childhood I used to enjoy holi, splashing colors all over and running after my friends just to put some in their clean wiped faces. We used to fill small balloons with colored water and target them from a distance. That was real fun. Nowdays I prefer the dry holi by just applying gulal or abeer. Today’s holi special recipe is Gujiya also known as karanji.
Now when I talk about Indian festivals, Indian sweets must follow. So during holi, some classic sweets and snacks are prepared like nimki or namak pare, samosas,sweet nimki or shakkar pare,karanji or gujia, sweet boondi,boondi laddu, jalebi, barfi and the list goes on.
Last time during holi one of my friends gifted me a box of gujiya which were very yummy. Last few days I was craving for some and to my despair the friend has relocated. So I thought of making some gujiyas and since I haven’t made before I could share the recipe here. I called her up and asked for the recipe and here it is ,crisp, melt in the mouth pastry with dry fruits and mawa stuffing and right amount of sweetness. I dipped the gujiyas in sugar syrup but that is completely optional.
Gujiyas are known by diffrent names in different parts of the country with slight change in the ingredients. Some use only flour to make the dough, some add couple of tablespoons of semolina. The stuffing also varies. Some use dry coconut powder, some freshly grated coconut, some with khoya and some without. So it all depends on the taste and preference but the end result is always great.
Preparing the gujiya is somewhat easy but shaping it is somewhat tricky and it improves with practice. You may use a cutter or crimper to shape the gujiys but I prefer the handmade ones. It is also very important to fry the gujiyas at a low heat so that it is crisp and cooked properly. Give it a shot if you haven’t already and enjoy with your friends and family.
Tips:
The fried gujiyas can be stored in an airtight container for a week.
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GUJIYA/ KARANJI : INDIAN SWEET PUFF
- YIELD: 10-12 (5-8 Servings)
- PREP: 15 mins
- COOK: 15 mins
- READY IN: 60 mins
It is deep fried crisp, melt in the mouth pastry with dry fruits and mawa stuffing and right amount of sweetness. Can be dipped in sugar syrup.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup khoya or mawa grated or crumbled
- 1/4 cup cashew nuts chopped
- 1/4 cup almonds chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins chopped
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 1/2 cups oil or ghee for deep frying
- 1 cup granulated sugar for the syrup (optional)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoons pistachios slivered for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rub the ghee into the flour and knead into a stiff but smooth dough adding very little water. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for half n hour.
- In a pan add the crumbled khoya and sauté until it lightly changes color. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Once the khoya is cooled add in the powdered sugar, desiccated coconut, cardamom powder, chopped cashews, almonds and raisins and mix very well.
- To make the sugar syrup, bring the water and sugar to a boil and continue to cook until the syrup is of one thread consistency. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Divide the dough into 10-12 balls. roll each ball into 1/8 inch thick disc. Take one rolled disc at a time and stuff with the khoya-nuts mixture. Apply some water on the edges of the disc.Fold like a half-moon shape and press the edges gently to seal. Now pinch and twist along the sealed edges to give it a typical shape of a gujiya. Repeat with rest of the rolled balls.
- Heat the oil or ghee at medium heat. Now fry the gujiya in batches at low heat until golden brown in color in all sides. Drain them on a paper towel.
- Dunk each gujiya in the sugar syrup for half a minute and rest them to dry on a plate. Garnish with the slivered pistachios.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
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