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As Holi is around the corner, to be celebrated on March 14, 2025, Hindus have started to prepare traditional delicacies. Gujiya, a sweet crispy pastry is one of them and is believed to have originated from Uttar Pradesh. This fluffed and flaky dish is a unique and popular snack because of its wonderful contrast between the crunchy crust and sweet centre.
Its crumbly filling is prepared with a combination of khoya, nuts, powdered sugar and dried fruits. Despite its simplicity, making the ideal variant of gujiya involves a balance between the technique of stuffing and filling and frying. Below are some essential suggestions discussed by which you can easily prepare them at home.
Selecting The Good Quality Ingredients
Use maida (all-purpose flour), for a crispier and softer texture of the dish. Make sure the khoya is fresh when you buy it because the filling depends on its richness. You can also make it at home by boiling full-fat milk until it thickens. For filling choose good quality cashews, almonds which give nutty flavour and raisins for sweetness. To add more flavour add cardamom and a few strands of saffron.
Preparing Perfect Dough
In a mixing bowl combine ghee and all-purpose flour (maida) until the mixture takes on the consistency of breadcrumbs. After that gradually add cold water to knead the dough. The crust may become tough rather than crisp if you knead it too much. After the dough is ready, cover it with a moist cloth. Then leave it to rest for at least half an hour.
Preparing The Filling
To make the filling start by sauteing fresh khoya (milk solids) till lightly brown. Then add desiccated coconut and finely chopped nuts and dried fruits. Also, add a pinch of cardamom powder for aroma and powdered sugar to sweeten the mixture. Make sure the filling is completely cool because a warm one might make the dough mushy and difficult to seal. Additionally, don't overfill because that could lead to the breaking of gujiyas while frying.
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Shaping & Sealing Of The Dough
Take the dough and roll out small puris, then top one side of each with a little amount of filling. Fold the other half over to create a semicircle after moistening the edges with water or a flour-water mixture. For extra appeal, shape edges with your fingers or a fork after pressing firmly to seal. If you're using a gujiya mould make sure that any extra dough around the sides is eliminated after sealing.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Frying & Serving
Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium flame and check the temperature by dropping a little piece of dough that is ready or not for cooking. To prevent overcrowding, fry the gujiya in small batches (3-4 pieces at a time). Fry each batch for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until they are slightly brown.
For serving, while the gujiyas are still warm, add a simple sugar syrup glaze over them. You can also prepare a medium-thick sugar syrup with saffron or rose water for more visual appeal. Garnish them with crushed pistachios and silver varq.
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