on Apr 12, 2019, Updated Dec 28, 2023
How to make it without khoya/Mawa?
How to make it with Suji?
How to make it crispy?
How to fold?
How to make these Baked?
Step By Step Recipe
Mix melted ghee with all-purpose flour and rub with your palms. When I was a kid, my mom used to make a huge variety of snacks for this festival. There were some dishes which she made throughout the year, but a lot of them were this festival specific. Gujiya, Gajar Ki Kanji, Aloo Ke Chips, Aloo Ke Papad, and Papdi were marked as her signature dishes and she made them only for special occasions and festivals. But out of all those recipes, Gujiya was the best. It is more like a sweet dumpling made from all-purpose flour and khoya. It is well known in northern states of India such Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. And on top of this my mom makes the best Gujiya ever.
After I got married, my mom always used to send me my share of these every year, so I had practically never tried my hands on making these typical festival recipes and never cared to learn them either. But recently, thought that it is not such a big deal, I could make them once and figure things out by myself. So I tried them with my mother’s guidance on call. I remember making assumptions such as: making this is just so tedious and time-consuming, shaping them, all the same, I snot humanly achievable and more such stuff. I am sure many of you must have thought the same, right? But trust me, after making these at home, all my doubts got cleared and I was able to make the best Gujiya Recipe ever. They are so easy to make that you would be happily surprised by the final outcome. Gujia are similar to Maharashtrian karanji except that their filling is different. In Karanji, the filling is coconut dominant and no khoya is added to it. You can call them coconut gujiya 🙂 So grab this chance to have a look at the recipe of these and do make them this Holi. And while you are at it, celebrate Holi with your loved ones and let them savor your delicious Gujiya as well!
Pro Tips by Neha
You will need a mold to shape the Gujiya unless you are adept at sealing the edges using your fingers. So make sure to buy one beforehand or order it online. For the filling, you can use other dry fruits like almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, etc. I also use chironji and raisins as my mom do. Poppy seeds are also a great addition to the filling. Frying these is a time taking process. Be mentally prepared that this particular process will take time. Rest everything is a breeze. You can make these in small batches that you can easily do. Each batch will take 15-20 minutes of frying. You don’t want to fry the Gujiya on high heat. They will be browned from outside but will be raw from inside and that’s not cool. Sometimes one of the Gujiya breaks while frying and the filling start to stick on others. There is no rescue for that batch but for the next one, strain the ghee using a metal strainer and then use it for frying. The dough must be covered with moist cloth at all times. After shaping the Gujiya, keep them on a plate covered. You can easily half or double this recipe. Make sure to seal the gujiya very well after stuffing. If they open while frying, their filling will come out and spoil the entire batch. You can replace ½ cup khoya with ½ cup roasted suji in the filling. Thandai Namak Pare Kanji Drink Gulab Jamun
Knead a soft dough using water. Cover and keep aside.
Break the khoya into small pieces and fry till pinkish in color.
Let it cool and then add coconut, chironji, raisins, sugar and cardamom. Mix well.
Mix all purpose flour and water in a bowl.
Knead the dough for a minute. Divide it into 40 pieces. Roll each piece into a 4 inch disc. Keep the rolled discs in a plate covered with damp cloth. While rolling the dough, keep the remaining dough covered. Remove the extra dough from around. Remove the gujiya from the mold and store in a plate.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan. Deep fry the gujiyas on medium flame till lightly browned. Let the gujiyas cool before storing them in a airtight container.
