Crispy fried half-moon pastry stuffed with khoya, coconut and dry fruits — the Holi sweet of Madhya Pradesh made in large batches before the festival.
Ingredients
For pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
3 tbsp ghee — for shortening
A pinch of salt
Water — to knead a firm dough
Oil for deep frying
For filling:
1 cup khoya (mawa) — crumbled and lightly roasted
1/2 cup desiccated coconut — dry-roasted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp cashews — finely chopped
3 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp almonds — finely chopped
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
A pinch of nutmeg
Method
Make pastry: rub ghee into maida until crumbly.
Add salt. Knead with cold water into a firm smooth dough. Rest 20 minutes.
Make filling: combine lightly roasted khoya, roasted coconut, powdered sugar, cashews, raisins, almonds, cardamom and nutmeg.
Mix thoroughly. Taste — the filling should be moderately sweet and fragrant.
Divide dough into 24 balls. Roll each ball into a round about 9 cm wide.
Place 1 heaped tbsp filling on one half of the round.
Fold the other half over to form a half-moon.
Press the edges firmly together. Crimp by folding small pleats along the sealed edge — this creates the classic gujiya pattern and ensures no filling escapes during frying.
Heat oil on medium. Fry gujiyas in batches on medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes turning regularly until pale golden all over.
Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container for 2 weeks.