GUJYIA : Traditional sweet of Holi festival

GUJIYA 

Gujiya is a sweet often made at the time of Holi festival.    It is commonly eaten in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.  It is a half moon shaped dumpling made of all purpose flour(maida) and semolina(sooji)which is filled with milk solids(called khoya or Mawa) and nuts and then deep fried.  If you purchase Gujiya from a shop you will find it glazed with sugary syrup but if you make it at home you may skip the glazed part and feel less guilty eating it.

It is often said Holi is not complete without Gujiya.  Gujiya is known by different names in different parts of India.  It is known as Pedakiya, Ghughra in Gujarat and Karanji in Mahashtra.  Gujiya has similar cousin in the South of india known as Karachika, Kajjikayi and Nervi.  It won’t be an  exaggeration to say that in India there is a special recipe for every festive occasion.  

Gujiya has travelled time and thankfully has remained in its original form and taste.  It used to be a part of royal kitchen in Bundelkhand region in Rajasthan, before British times.  In North India Gujiya is filled with Mawa and nuts while in south coconut becomes a prime ingredient.

This Holi I made Gujiya at home.  Instead of white flour I tried with multigrain flour, semolina and a little bit of white flour.   I wanted to make Gujiya right from scratch and that is the reason I made even Mawa by myself an evening before.

To make Mawa or Khoya I took a cup of whole milk powder in a bowl. Took 1/3 cup of milk and a 1/2 tbsp of ghee. Boil milk and add ghee in a pan and mix it with the milk powder. Use a whisk to blend it well, take it out in a small bowl. Once it comes to room temperature, refrigerate it.  Next morning take it out and grate the Mawa and keep it aside.

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

1 cup multi grain or whole wheat flour, 1 tbsp semolina(sooji), 2 tbsp white flour(maida), 1/4 cup ghee for making the dough, 2 tbsp ghee(clarified butter)for frying, water to knead the dough. (You May use cooking oil for frying the Gujiya but frying in the ghee enhances the taste)

For the Filling:

1 cup Mawa, 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 cup almonds, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp chironji, 1 tsp cardamom powder.

Method:

Take a mixing bowl and add wheat flour, semolina and white flour. Add 1/4 cup of ghee to it and with your fingertips mix ghee and make like coarse breadcrumbs. Add water to make it a pliable but firm dough. You should not need more than 1/2 cup of water.  Cover the dough with a damp cloth for 20 minutes or so.

In the meanwhile prepare the filling. Roast the grated mawa(khoya) in a non stick pan on low flame. It should not take more than 5 minutes to cook it.

Blanch almonds, peel off the skin and cut into small pieces. Cut cashews into small pieces.  

Once mawa cools off add nuts, chironji, powdered sugar, cardamom powder and mix it with a spoon.  Your filling is ready to be stuffed.

Divide the dough into equal parts. Take one part and with rolling pin make a circle of 4” to 5”.

Place it over Gujiya mould, fill 2 or 3 tsp of filling(depending on the size of your mould).

Please do not over fill the mixture as Gujiya will open up while deep frying.  Close the mould and remove the excess dough from the sides.  Add the trimmed dough to the rest of the dough.  Repeat the process to make more Gujiya until the dough is finished.  Keep the filled Gujiya under the damp cloth otherwise they will dry up.

Heat rest of the ghee in a pan on a medium low flame. Once oil is hot enough, fry the filled Gujiya till golden in colour. Transfer them on paper towel so that excess oil is drained.

If you prefer to bake Gujiya, you may do so in 200 degree C(350 degree F) for 20 to 25 minutes or till they are golden in colour.  Baking method definitely make this sweet healthy but it does compromise the traditional decadent taste. 

Once they cool off, you can store them in an airtight container for a week or so.

Note: Buchanania Lanza is a deciduous tree which produces seeds that are edible for humans. These seeds are known as Chironji or Charoli.  These almond flavoured seeds are used as a cooking spice primarily in India.  Chironji is very rich in minerals like calcium, iron and phosphorus.