Fried sweet dumplings filled with thickened milk (mawa), nuts, coconut & raisins. Gujiya is traditionally made in Northern India during the festival of colors, Holi!
4-5tablespoonsfinely chopped nuts like almond, cashew
1/3cupdesiccated coconut powder 26 grams
1.5cups grated mawa/khoyamilk solids, 187 grams, I used frozen
1tablespoonmilk15 ml
1/2cup + 1 tablespoonfine sugar130 grams, or adjust to taste
1/2teaspooncardamom powder
oil or gheefor frying, I use a mix of both
2 tablespoon flour mixed with 3 tablespoon water, to seal the gujiya
Instructions
Make the dough
Take flour in a large bowl. Add melted ghee to flour. Mix ghee with the flour using your fingers.
Start adding water little by little and knead to form a slightly stiff dough.Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes. I cover with a damp paper towel (which I soak in water and then squeeze out all the water).
Make the filling
To make the filling, heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a pan on medium heat. Add chopped raisins and nuts and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Then to the same pan add coconut and roast for 2 minutes until lightly fragrant. Transfer to a bowl.
Now to the same pan, add grated mawa. Lower the heat to low and roast for 5 to 6 minutes until mawa turns light golden in color.
Transfer the roasted mawa to a blender, add 1 tablespoon of milk and blend so that it becomes smooth. You don't need to add milk or do this step if using fresh mawa. The frozen mawa that I have used here is quite dry so I had to add little milk to it.
Transfer the mawa to a large bowl. Let it cool down a little. Then mix in the nuts, raisins, coconut powder, sugar and cardamom powder.Filling is ready, it should be little moist and not completely dry.
Meanwhile mix 2 tablespoons flour with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl. This mixture will be used to seal the gujiyas.
Make the gujiya
Divide dough into equal balls after it has rested. Keep it covered all the time as you roll each ball one by one. Each of my gujiya weighed around 30 grams.Meanwhile also heat oil or ghee in a kadai on medium-low heat to fry the gujiyas. I use a mix of oil and ghee.
Roll each ball into a small circle of 5 to 6 inch diameter.
Place it on top of the gujiya mold. Apply the flour-water paste all around.Fill 1 tablespoon filling inside, do not overfill
Press the two ends together to seal the gujiya mold. Remove the excess dough from the sides.
Make all gujiyas in the similar way. Keep the excess removed dough in one place and use it to make more gujiyas later.
Keep all gujiyas covered all time with a damp cloth/paper towel so that they don't dry out before frying.
Once the gujiyas are filled and oil is hot enough, fry them on medium-low heat until light golden brown in color. First batch will take time, around 10-12 minutes. be patient, only fry on low heat.Next batches will fry in 6-7 minutes as the oil gets little hotter. But resist the temptation to fry at high heat. Fry all gujiya similarly.
Serve immediately, I love them warm! Or store in an airtight container once cooled.I have not dipped gujiya into any sugar syrup. If you want, you can make a 1 string consistency sugar syrup and do it.
Notes
Use a mix of oil and ghee to fry the gujiyas. You can also use 100% ghee.
You can coat these gujiyas in sugar syrup if you want. Make a one string consistency sugar syrup and then add the fried gujiyas to the syrup until coated.