Recipe: Gujia

A traditional Indian sweet made on occasion of Holi. A fried pastry stuffed with khoya, dry fruits, saffron, and coconut.

Hebbars Kitchen

1. Take 2 cups (250 gms) plain flour / maida in a mixing bowl, make a hollow pit in it, add 1/4 cup (60 gms) ghee to it, mix well with hands.

2. Add lukewarm water in small portions and knead to get a stiff dough. cover and keep it aside for 20 to 25 minutes to set.

3. For stuffing, heat a pan, add 2 tbsp ghee to it as ghee melts add 1/3 cup (60 gms) semolina / rava / sooji to it. stir and roast it, until golden brown. keep flame on medium heat.

4. Next, take 3/4 cup (150 gms) boora / powdered sugar in a bowl. take out roasted semolina / rava from the pan and pour it over the boora / sugar.

5. Dry roast 10-12 chopped cashew nuts, 10-12 slivered almonds for a few minutes. keep in the same bowl as sugar.

6. Slightly roast 1/3 cup grated coconut in the hot pan for half a minute. keep in same bowl as semolina and sugar.

7. Crumble and add 1/2 cup (125 gms) mawa / khoya / khoa to the pan, stir and roast, till it changes color. keep flame on medium.

8. Add 1 tbsp raisins, 6-7 coarsely ground green cardamoms, 10-11 coarsely ground black pepper ,1/2 grated nutmeg in the bowl with semolina-sugar-dry fruits. mix all ingredients well.

9. Meanwhile the dough is ready, knead it a bit. divide dough into 2 parts, make a log, break lumps to make small balls.

10. Lift a dough lump, press and make round dough ball, like a peda. roll it out thin from the edges with 3 to 4 inch in diameter.

11. Take the gujiya mould, keep the poori over the mould so that, the lower part of it comes above.

12. Put stuffing in the poori, grease edges of poori with water. close the mould. press well on the edges. remove extra dough.

13. Open the mould, take out gujiya and keep in a plate. likewise roll out, stuff and prepare all gujiyas. keep collecting in a plate.

14. Heat ghee to fry the gujiyas, keep it medium hot. put one gujiya to fry and check, when frying reduce the flame.

15. Put as many gujiyas as they fit in the wok. once roasted from beneath, flip them. stir and fry until golden brown from both sides, keep flame on medium to low heat.

16. Lift the gujiya using a ladle. take out from the wok, keep in plate, fry all gujiyas likewise.

17. Sumptuous, sooji mawa gujiya's are ready. as the gujiyas cool down, keep in an air tight container, and relish it for 15 days.