The festival of Holi has got people are hankering for a gujia. The taste of a hotly served gujia is unmatched and it is one sweet dish that will make you ditch your strict diet. Gujia is simple to make and does not require too much preparation. It is made in large quantites and since it does not contain any water content, it lasts for several days. Gujia is traditionally served on Holi and even gifted to others while you are visiting someone during this festival. The taste of gujia is such that nowadays, it is available at sweet shops throughout the year.
What is gujia?
Gujia is a deep-fried pasrty with a filling of khoya and dry fruits inside. With time, Gujia has been reinvented so that people who are health conscious can also enjoy this delicacy. So, now, gujia is also baked or made using sugar-free.
Here's how you can make gujias at home without much hassle.
Ingredients for gujia
All-purpose flour (maida)
Khoya
Dry fruits-- raisins, almond, cashew
Cardamom or cardamom powder
Sugar
Oil to deep fry
For gujia dough
Use all-purpose flour. Mix a pinch of salt to it. Pour melted ghee into the flour. This will make the gujias crunchy. Rub and mix the ghee with the flour with your fingertips to form a breadcrumb-like texture. Now, add water in small quantities and knead a tight dough. Cover the prepared dough with a moist kitchen cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
For gujia filling
Use market bought or homemade khoya. Grate the khoya. Heat some ghee in a pan and after it is hot, put the grated khoya in it and cook it while stirring. Use low heat to cook the khoya. A change in smell and colour of the khoya will indicate that it is cooked. Let the khoya cool down since this is to be filled inside the dough that has been prepared earlier. Now, roughly cut up some dry fruits and add to the khoya. Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder as per taste. The gujia filling is prepared.
Final step
Roll the prepared gujia dough into small circles. Put the filling inside it and seal it from all sides. You can use a cutter or shaper for the perfect gujia shape. Prepare as many gujias as you want and fry them in piping hot oil. Gujias are ready to be served.
For baked gujia, place them on a dish and glaze them with some butter or ghee. Preheat the oven and place it inside till a light brown texture forms on top of it.
Some of the gujias are also prepared by immersing them in sugar syrup. For that, all steps remain the same. Just prepare sugar syrup and after gujia has been deep-fried, dip in sugar syrup or chashni and serve hot.
Storage
When the gujia cools down at room temperature, immediately place them in an air-tight jar. They stay good for a few days at room temperature. Eat and serve it to friends and family members.
