Maharashtrian Karanji

Karanjis are Diwali, Holi and Ganpati festival speciality in Maharashtra.

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Karanjis are Diwali, Holi and Ganpati festival speciality in Maharashtra. Also called Gujiya in many places, the traditional karanji is a sweet pastry, stuffed with grated and sweetened coconut or sooji. It is a crispy and savoury dumpling which is deep fried in oil.
Usher in the festive Diwali mood this year, with Karanjis to snack on.

Serves:

27 Pieces

Time:

20 Minutes

Ingredients

For the stuffing

  • 1/2 cup dry coconut, grated
  • 3/4 Sooji / Rava/ semolina
  • 1 tbsp Khus Khus (poppy seeds)
  • 4 tbsp mixed dry fruits
  • 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp cardamom powder
  • Ghee

Making the dough

  • 2 cups of maida
  • Ghee
  • Salt
  • Divide the dough into 27 small dough balls
  • Sunflower oil for deep frying the Karanjis.

Method: Preparing the Filling

  • Warm a pan on low flame
  • Into the warm pan put in the grated dry coconut to roast.
  • When the coconut turns a little brown, set it aside to cool.
  • Add two tbsp of ghee to the pan and roast the sooji.
  • Add the dry fruits and khuskhus or poppy seeds to the sooji and roast a little more
  • Now add the grated and dry roasted coconut. Roast for 2 minutes more
  • Turn off the stove
  • Into the sooji in the pan, pour in the powdered sugar and the cardamom powder
  • Mix everything well and keep aside.

Prepare the dough

  • In a bowl mix the maida, ghee and salt
  • Add in a little water and start kneading
  • Knead till you get a ball of soft dough
  • Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes
  • Divide the dough into 27 small balls

Making the Karanjis

  • Roll out each ball of the dough into a small roti. Do not use dry flour to help you roll out the chapatis
  • Place a spoon full of the filling mix, in the middle of the roti
  • Fold over one side of the roti over to the filling to form a crescent
  • Press and seal the sides to secure the filling inside

Frying the Karanji

  • In a wok, pour in the Sunflower oil
  • When the oil heats up, slide in the Karanjis, one after the other into the piping hot oil.
  • Fry the Karanjis quickly to avoid burning them
  • Lay them on a kitchen towel or absorbent papers.
  • Once the Karanjis cool down, they are ready to be served or stored in airtight containers