Holi is a festival full of colours that are not complete without gujiyas, that syrupy, flavourful sweet, filled with condiments. It is a tempting sweet which is known to be synonymous with Holi and it is an important part of the celebration. Gujiya is a sweet deep-fried dumpling that is filled with a mixture of milk solids (khoya) and nuts. It’s crescent shape dessert which is a delish fresh pastry that resembles a Turkish dish Baklava, which is also sweet wrapped in a flour cover and stuffed with dry fruits. This mawa gujiya is a perfect festive treat that is typically popular in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. It is also known by different names like Ghughra, karanji and others.
Gujiya has a crispy outer layer that is full of sweet filling which will burst up in your senses. It is many versions that have available in different fillings like dry fruits gujiya, mawa gujiya and many other healthier version like baked gujiyas. You can try with different fillings where you have different tastes, textures and flavours. Where festival reminds me about my childhood after shifting to the metro city I miss my old festival memories. Where mummy used to the vanity of dishes in the kitchen and wonderful aroma welcomes you. The sheer half-moon shaped sweet is unimaginatively in the league. It is stuffed with mawa which is mixed with almonds, pistachios, cashews, and raisins with a crispy crust. A pure bliss!
History Of Gujiya
The earliest Gujiya comes in the 13th century when a jaggery- honey mixture was covered with wheat flour and was sun-dried to prepare the sweet. It originated in the Indian region, it is said that gujiya comes from the Budhelkhand region of the country. Where it is most popular in different states and have their variation. While it is popularly known as Gujiya in the Northern states, a deep-fried dumpling is called Pedakiya in Bihar, Ghughra in Gujrat, Karanji in Maharashtra, Somas in Tamil Nadu, and Karjikayi in Karnataka.
Read More: Indian Doughnut: Balushahi
Gujiya Recipe
Ingredients
For Dough
- Refined Flour 2 cups
- Clarified Butter (Ghee) 1 cup
- Water (to mix)
For Filling
- Khoya/ Mawa 1 cup
- Sugar 1 cup
- Green cardamom 1 tsp
- Almonds (chopped) 2 tbsp
- Cashews (chopped) 2 tbsp
- Pistachios (chopped) 2 tbsp
- Rasins 1 tbsp
- Oil (for deep frying)
Method
For Dough
- Take the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt in a bowl.
- Heat ghee in a small pan or bowl until it melts and becomes warm. Pour the ghee on the flours.
- First, mix the ghee with a spoon. Then rub and mix the ghee with the flours, with your fingertips to form a bread crumb like texture.
- Add water in parts and begin to knead. The amount of water needed will depend on the quality and texture of the flour.
- Knead the dough till firm and tight. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
For Filling
- Crumble or grate the khoya (mawa).
- Chop the nuts, raisins and set them aside.
- Melt ghee in a pan on low heat.
- Add the crumbled or grated khoya.
- Stir the khoya continuously on low heat.
- Cook the khoya, till it begins to gather around itself. Switch off the heat and place the pan on the kitchen countertop. Let the khoya stuffing cool completely at room temperature.
- Later add powdered sugar, chopped nuts, raisins and cardamom powder. Better to sieve the powdered sugar if there are lumps.
- Mix everything well and keep the stuffing aside. Check the taste and add more sugar if you prefer.
Assembling & Shaping
- Divide the dough into two parts.
- Make a medium log of each part and slice it into equal parts.
- Roll each part in your palms to make balls and place all the balls in the same bowl. Cover with a moist kitchen towel.
- Dust the rolling board lightly with some flour. Roll each ball with the rolling pin to a small circle having 4 to 5 inches diameter. Don’t add too much flour while rolling. If you can roll without the flour, then it is better.
- With your fingertip or a pastry brush, apply water all over the circumference edge.
- Place about 1 to 1.5 tablespoon of the prepared khoya filling on one side of the circle, keeping the edges empty. Don’t add too much of stuffing as it becomes difficult to shape gujiya and they may break in the oil.
- Carefully, bring together both the edges and join. Gently press the edges.
- With a small gujiya cutter or pizza cutter, trim the extra edges. When doing this method, it is very important that the gujiya is pressed & sealed well.
- Prepare gujiya this way and arrange them on a plate or tray. Cover the guijya with a moist napkin so that the dough does not dry out.
- Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
