With the approaching festival of colors, we eagerly anticipate indulging in an array of Indian desserts and delicacies. Holi just doesn't feel complete until our tables are adorned with sweets, beverages, and scrumptious Indian snacks. As per tradition, this occasion calls for the preparation of gujiya, a traditional North Indian dessert available in various flavors and fillings. Gujiya is a deep-fried sweet dumpling crafted from maida or suji (semolina), sweetened khoa (milk solids or mawa), and dried fruits, fried to perfection in ghee.
This dessert is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and is crescent-shaped, stuffed with a sweet mixture of grated and roasted dried fruits, khoa, grated coconut, and a pinch of suji for a grainy texture. Gujiya is commonly consumed during the festivities of Teej, Holi, and Chhath. There are a lot of variations available on the market, but have you ever tried the Gulkand Shahi Gujiya?
Gulkand, also known as gulqand or gulkhand, is an Indian sweet preserve made from rose petals. The term "gulkand" is derived from the Persian words "gul" (rose) and "qand" meaning sugar or sweet. Gulkand is traditionally made with Damask roses. China rose, French rose, and cabbage rose are among other popular varieties of roses that are used to make gulkand. There are two ways of making this sweet preserve by mixing sugar and pink rose petals. While one way is to slow-cook the mixture to reduce the juiciness of the sugar and rose petals, another is to lay out clean rose petals and layer them with sugar in a jar before sun-drying them for a week to 10 days. The taste of this preserve has been described as "beyond heaven." It has a strong rosy fragrance with hints of little sweetness.
gujiya/ pinterest.com
Gulkand gujiya has a crunchy texture and mouth-melting khoya filling. You can also add elaichi and nuts to the filling to ramp up its texture. In the end, the gujiyas are garnished with silver vark and some pistachios. You can also garnish it with rose petals to enhance its appearance. Undoubtedly, this gujiya is a real crowd-pleaser. The rich taste of gulkand and khoya exudes a regal essence that dissolves in your mouth akin to a marshmallow.
Here's how you can make Gulkand Gujiya at home:
Ingredients
- 100 g refined flour
- 20 g chironji
- 20 g desiccated coconut
- 50 g khoya
- 10 g cardamom powder
- 20 g dalda
- 30 g gulkand
- 1 g saffron
- 100 g sugar
Method
- Prepare a stuffing in a kadhai using cardamom, saffron, gulkand, chironji, coconut, and mawa.
- Make a dough using maida, water, and dalda.
- Let the dough rest for 2 hours.
- Make round balls and roll them into discs. Fill one half of a disc with the stuffing. Fold the other half over it in such a way that it takes the shape of a crescent moon.
- Fry it until it turns golden in colour.
- Garnish it with rose petals or saffron strands.
