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Hariyali Teej is a significant and colourful festival celebrated mainly in the northern and western regions of India, including states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Haryana. Held on the third day of the bright half of the Shravan month (July-August), this festival is dedicated to the divine love and union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Hariyali Teej commemorates the devotion and love between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Married women pray for their husbands' longevity, well-being, and prosperity, while unmarried women seek blessings for a suitable life partner.
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The festival showcases rich cultural traditions with music, dance, and folk songs. Women dress in green attire, adorn themselves with jewellery, and apply henna to their hands. Coinciding with the monsoon season, the festival celebrates nature's lushness and rejuvenation, reflecting renewal in both nature and human relationships. Women observe a fast, perform rituals, and worship Goddess Parvati, seeking her blessings. They come together for the Teej Puja, sing devotional songs, and share stories about Shiva and Parvati.
Once the fast is over, they indulge in varieties of sweet delicacies like ghevar, malpua, laddoo, and others. One of them is Gujiya. But most people struggle to make a perfect gujiya at home. So here are some tips for making the perfect gujiya, which you can make at home during this Hariyali Teej festival. Here is the guide below:
Dough preparation
The first step to having a perfect gujiya is to prepare a smooth and firm dough. Use maida flour (all-purpose flour) and a little ghee. Mix the ghee and maida until it becomes a soft dough. After preparing the dough, let it rest for 30 minutes so that the dough can be easily rolled out and shaped.
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Prepare Dry Filling
If you are preparing gujiyas for the first time, it's best to keep the filling a little dryer so that your gujiyas can hold the stuffing. If the filling is too wet, then it will make the Gujiyas more soggy.
Additionally, you can use khoya, almonds, cashews, and pistachios as the main ingredients for the filling.
Seal Properly
The third main step is to seal the dough properly on all edges. While doing this, it is best to dip your fingers in water first; this will help you to ensure that the edges have enough moisture to be sealed well. Use a fork or a Gujiya mould to seal the edges well, which will prevent the filling from leaking out during the frying process.
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Frying Technique
Do not fry gujiya on high flame or in hot oil, as doing so will cook your gujiyas from the outside, and they will remain uncooked on the inside. Make sure to fry on medium flame, as frying gujiya takes time. So do not be in a rush.
Additionally, do not try to fry all gujiyas at once; carry the frying process in small batches. It is done as there could be a possibility for gujiyas to break or for the filling to stick on other. gujiyas. Take out all those gujiyas, and for your next batch, strain the ghee with a metal strainer and start frying another, fresh batch of gujiyas.
However, the thing to remember is that you have to be patient while frying your batch of gujiyas. It usually takes close to 15-20 minutes to fry a normal batch of gujiyas in a standard deep-fried pan.
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Avoid Overfilling
Do not overfill the gujiyas because too much filling can let them burst while frying. Use that much filling, which can provide your gujiyan with a delightful flavour without bursting it in a deep fry pan.
Cooling and Storage
When the gujiyas are fried, make sure to place them on paper towels to cool them completely so that it can drain excess oil. Also, once they are cooled down, store them in an airtight container so that the crispiness and tenderness of the gujiyas can be maintained.
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