MAWA GUJIYA

A traditional sweet, Gujiya is popularly made on the occasion of Holi, Teej and Diwali. This North Indian dessert is truly delicious and can be made with some easily available ingredients in your pantry like - khoya, sugar, almonds, green cardamom, semolina, coconut and flour. Gujiya or mawa gujiya has a flaky crisp outer crust with sweet inner stuffing. This is mawa gujiya with khoya filling, is very rich and delicious. Traditionally, Gujiya is prepared using ghee which makes it rich and aromatic. However, if you want to reduce the calorie content, you can also replace it with some refined oil  There are different types of gujiya recipes. When I googled for gujiya recipes it was almost similar to our samosas. Follow us through some simple steps and nail this easy delight! This quick and easy gujiya recipe will help you make the perfect Gujiya even if you have never made them before. Ready in just one hour, this step-by-step gujiya recipe is great to prepare for guests and relatives.

( 1 cup = 240 ml )

INGREDIENTS : 

For Dough -

2 Cup All Purpose Flour / Maida

1/4 Cup Melted Ghee, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon Salt

water as needed

 For Stuffing - 

1 Cup Mawa

1/4 Cup Grated Dried Coconut

1 tablespoon Sooji / Semolina (roasted)

1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar, or more as per your taste

1 tablespoon chopped Almonds

1 tablespoon chopped Cashew nuts

2 tablespoon Raisins

1/2 teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder

A pinch of grated Nutmeg

For Sugar Syrup -

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Water

Few strands of Saffron (kesar)

1/2 tsp Green Cardamom Powder

Other Ingredients -

Oil / ghee for frying 

Few Rose Petals for garnishing

1 tablespoon Chopped Pista, for garnishing

Silver Warq

METHOD : 

For Making the dough -

STEP 1 - In a mixing bowl, sift flour and salt and add ghee. Using your fingertips, rub the flour and ghee until the mixture resembles like breadcrumbs . Take some mixture in your hand and try to press. If it holds the shape then the moyan is perfect.

STEP 2 - Add water slowly in small batches, mix and then begin to knead. Make a stiff dough. Do not over knead the dough. (See notes)

STEP 3 - Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it  rest for 1/2 an hour.

For Making Stuffing - 

STEP 1 - In a mixing bowl, add and mix all the stuffing ingredients together with your hand and

keep it aside.

For Making Sugar Syrup -

STEP 1 - In a vok/ vessel,  add water, sugar and and cook on low flame until one string consistency.

STEP 2 - Add saffron strands and cardamom powder. 

STEP 3 - Sugar syrup is ready. Cover and set aside. 

Making the Gujiya -

STEP 1 - Knead the dough for a minute and divide it into equal parts.

 STEP 2 - Take one portion, make a ball and cover the rest with the same damp cloth.

STEP 3 -  Then roll into a round puri like shape, approximately 3 mm thick.  You can cut the round using a round plate or a cookie cutter.

STEP 4 - Take 1- 1/2 tablespoon stuffing mixture and place on one side. 

STEP 5 - Wet the edges with water. 

STEP 6 - Flip the other side over it. Then press to seal the edges. 

STEP 7 - Cut off the extra edges or with a fancy cutter or fork or with your hand make a design all along the sealed edges.

STEP 8 - Once done, cover with the wet cloth and set aside. 

STEP 9 - Likewise, make all the gujiyas and keep under the wet cloth till you fry.

STEP 10 - Heat a pan with enough oil in it.

STEP 11 - When the oil is hot, add 4-5 gujiyas at a time. Make sure fry only a few at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan.

STEP 12 - Fry over low to medium flame for 12-15 minutes.

STEP 13 -  Slowly turn them when done from one side.

STEP 14 -  Fry until they look nice golden brown in colour.

STEP 15 - Now transfer them to an absorbent paper/ kitchen towel to drain  excess oil if any.

STEP 16 - Repeat the same process and fry all the gujiyas.

STEP 17 - Now place the fried gujiyas in the sugar syrup, dipped for a minute. Make sure that the sugar syrup is still warm.

STEP 18 -  Then transfer them to a plate to dry.  

STEP 19 - Mawa gujiyas are ready to serve. 

Garnish with some chopped pista, rose petals and silver warq.

Serve hot or cold and store the rest in an airtight container.

NOTES : *The prepared dough should be stiff and not loose.

               *If your dough is too soft and sticky,  add 1-2 teaspoon flour. If it's too stiff then add few drops of milk/ water and knead it again.

             * Rolling it thin ensures crispy outer layer.

               *While greasing with water make a little broad sealing so that while cutting there is enough space in the sealed area to cut/trim.

                *If you don’t have the cutter spoon, just use a pizza cutter.Else seal it by pressing it with your fingers.You can even fold it but folding gives crisp hard edges after frying so I suggest to just press and seal.Else slightly press it with a fork.

               *Make sure you keep the dough and prepared somas covered before frying.

               *You can use the leftover inner stuffing for making sweet paratha for kids, tastes great.