Gujiya or Pedakiya
Eating a Gujiya is a delight. The half moon shape creates a visually unique identity that works like a magnet, the crispy outer crust gives you a satisfying feel of the light sweetness, while the mawa and dry fruit filling inside just melts in the mouth. Gujiya is truly a unparalleled preparation.
Gujiya or Pedakiya
Gujiya (Gujhia) is a very common festival dish of North India. This delicacy has many names in India . Similar dishes are known as Karanji in Maharashtra and Pedakiya in Eastern India. Gujarati Ghughra, Andhra and Kannada Karjikayi and Tamil Karchika are close cousins of Gujiya separated only by geographical distance. This shows how popular this preparation is across India.
Similarities with Samosa preparation process – Gujiya is to Sweet what Samosa is to Spicy. Both follow similar general process, but differ in the filling. While Gujiya half moon shaped filled with sweet items, Samosa is conical and typically filled with spicy fillings. Both can use the same crust , while differing only in the filling. Thats very useful when you are preparing for a party at home, and reduces lot of work- as you can use the same crust for both.
All Gujiya variant preparations have two parts :
- Preparing the filling This recipe uses filling of Khoya or Mawa with dry fruits like Almonds, cashew and raisins. In some preparation you can also use fine grated coconut. In Bihar an alternative is to use Sooji ( Semolina) mixed with dry fruits as the filling.
- Preparing the crust or covering. The crust in this recipe is made of refined flour(maida). Whole wheat flouor can also be used as a alternative.
Ingredient
For Dough
- Refined flour or maida – 2 cups
- Cold water as required
- Milk – 4 tbsps.
- Clarified butter (Ghee) – 6 tsp
For filling
- Khoya or mawa – 1 cup
- Cashewnuts – 1 tbsps. (chopped)
- Almonds – 1 tbsps. (chopped)
- Raisins – ½ tbsps. (chopped)
- Sugar powder – ½ cup or as required
- Green cardamom powder – 1 tsp
- Clarified butter – 1 tbsp.
- White oil for frying
Method
Prepare the stuffing
- Heat the clarified butter in a broad pan on medium heat.
- Add Khoya and cook till it become light brown. Turn off the gas and add powdered sugar and mix well and quickly transfer it to a plate. Set aside to cool.
- Add green cardamom powder, chopped almonds, Cashewnuts and raisin and mix together.
Prepare the dough
- In a big bowl add refined flour, clarified butter and milk and rub it into flour. It will be texture like breadcrumb.
- Adding little cold water at a time (don’t add more water at once. If you add more water at once then the flour will become too sticky to handle) and into stiff and smooth dough.
- Cover with wet muslin cloth and set aside 10 – 15 minutes.
- After fifteen minutes, divided the dough into equal portions and make each portion into small size dough balls.
- Lightly dust the rolling board with dry flour.
- Now roll out each ball into a small puri.
- Spread a tbsp of the staffing in the center and carefully fold one half of the puri. Now with the help of water close the side (It should look like a half moon).
- Heat sufficient oil in a deep frying wok or pan. Slowly drop gujiyas into the oil and fry them on medium heat till golden brown. Turn them carefully to cook the other side as well.
- Take out the fried gujiyas onto an absorbent paper or tissue paper.
- Let the gujiyas come down to room temperature.
- Store them in an air tight container.
Gujiya or pedekiya or stuffed sweet Indian pastry
Ingredients
For Dough
- Refined flour or maida – 2 cups
- Cold water as required
- Milk – 4 tbsps.
- Clarified butter Ghee – 6 tsp
For filling
- Khoya or mawa – 1 cup
- Cashewnuts – 1 tbsps. chopped
- Almonds – 1 tbsps. chopped
- Raisins – ½ tbsps. chopped
- Sugar powder – ½ cup or as required
- Green cardamom powder – 1 tsp
- Clarified butter – 1 tbsp.
- White oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare the stuffing
- Heat the clarified butter in a broad pan on medium heat.
- Add Khoya and cook till it become light brown. Turn off the gas and add powdered sugar and mix well and quickly transfer it to a plate. Set aside to cool.
- Add green cardamom powder, chopped almonds, Cashewnuts and raisin and mix together.
Prepare the dough
- In a big bowl add refined flour, clarified butter and milk and rub it into flour. It will be texture like breadcrumb.
- Adding little cold water at a time (don’t add more water at once. If you add more water at once then the flour will become too sticky to handle) and into stiff and smooth dough.
- Cover with wet muslin cloth and set aside 10 – 15 minutes.
- After fifteen minutes, divided the dough into equal portions and make each portion into small size dough balls.
- Lightly dust the rolling board with dry flour.
- Now roll out each ball into a small puri.
- Spread a tbsp of the staffing in the center and carefully fold one half of the puri. Now with the help of water close the side (It should look like a half moon).
- Heat sufficient oil in a deep frying wok or pan. Slowly drop gujiyas into the oil and fry them on medium heat till golden brown. Tunr them carefully to cook the other side as well.
- Take out the fried gujiyas onto an absorbent paper or tissue paper.
- Let the gujiyas come down to room temperature.
- Store them in an air tight container.
