Diwali, the festival of lights, is right around the corner and it is certainly incomplete without this sweet snack item called Karanji. Karanji, as known in Maharashtra, is made along with other Diwali snack items like chiwda, besan ladoo, rava ladoo and chakli all across India. But I personally feel that it is the star item amongst all. Karanji is a deep fried pastry which has a slightly crispy flaky outer covering and a sweet stuffing that is made with dry coconut, sugar and dry fruits. Its super delicious and totally addictive. Karanji is also known as Gujiya in North India, Kajjikayalu, Karchikai in South India and is made with different stuffings. Apart from Diwali this sweet snack is also made during the festival of Holi and Ganesh Chaturthi.
Oh how I miss celebrating this beautiful and colorful festival In India. You will see each house decorated with lights, flowers, lamps (kandils), the sweet smell of clarified butter/ghee emanating from every household, beautiful rangolis welcoming everyone at the doorstep and of course the constant noise of fire crackers in every neighborhood :P. As per tradition neighbors exchange sweets and snacks with each other in a beautifully decorated plate and that is how we always ended up with loads and loads of Diwali sweets including lots of Karanjis at our home :D. Don't ask me how many I would gobble down at a given time...hahahaha....
The recipe I am sharing today is the Maharashtrian Karanji recipe. Traditionally in Maharashtrian Karnaji the outer pastry cover is made in layers which needs a little practice but I will be sharing the other method which is easier and most commonly used.
This recipe makes around 10 - 12 Karanjis
Recipe adapted from Ruchkar Mejwani and Madhuras Recipe.
Ingredients:
For the outer cover/pastry:
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 tbsp of semolina/rava
1 tbsp of clarified butter/ ghee
1/2 cup of warm milk (or as required)
Salt to taste
For the filling:
1 cup of grated and roasted dry coconut
1/2 cup of semolina/rava (fine quality)
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar/powdered sugar
1 tsp of poppy seeds/khus khus
Chopped dry fruits of your choice. I used almonds and pistachios
1 tsp of cardamom powder/ elaichi powder
A pinch of nutmeg powder/ jaifal powder
1 1/2 tbsp of ghee
Oil for deep frying
Method:
For the outer cover/pastry for karanji:
1) Start with making the dough for the outer cover or pastry. In a bowl add the all purpose flour, semolina and salt to taste. Mix nicely.
2) Heat up the clarified butter and add this to the batter. It should sizzle when added. Mix the ghee thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.
3) Now start adding the milk in parts and begin to knead the dough. I ended up using a little less that half a cup of milk. Do not add a lot of milk at a time. The dough needs to be somewhat stiff and not too soft.
4) Knead the dough till it looks smooth. Cover it with a moist cloth and keep it aside for 15 - 20 mins.
For the filling:
1) Heat up ghee in a pan. Now add the semolina/rava and roast it on a low to medium flame till it turns light brown in color. This will take around 7 - 8mins.
2) Now add the poppy seeds and roast it for a minute followed by pre roasted grated dry coconut. Roast it for a few minutes. I didn't pre roast the dry coconut so roasted it for a little longer than required.
3) Now add the chopped dry fruits, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder and saute for a minute. Switch off the gas and remove the mixture into a bowl. To this now add the powdered sugar and mix well. I found half a cup of sugar sufficient. Give it a taste test and add more as per your requirement.
Assembling and frying the karanjis:
1) Take the dough and knead it once again for a min. Now make a big log or 2 small logs of the dough and cut it in 10 - 12 equal portions. Make small balls of it and keep it covered with a moist cloth at all times.
2) Now take one ball and press it between your palm and flatten it and start to roll the ball in 5 - 6 inches in diameter. Dust the board with dry flour if required.
3) Now add around a tbsp of the stuffing only in the centre of the rolled dough. Do not add too much stuffing or else you will not be able to shape and close the karanji properly.
4) Apply water or milk on the entire edge of the circle and then carefully fold one side and bring it to meet the other side of the circle.
5) Now gently press the edges to seal it completely. Cut off any excess if needed with a pizza cutter. In India we get a specific cutter for karanjis. If you have that then cut the edges with it and you are done.
6) Otherwise you can also shape the edges with pinch and fold method or simply design it by pressing a fork on the edges. (As shown in the below pictures). I am still learning the pinch and fold method so its not perfect. :P
6) Repeat this procedure with rest of the dough. Meanwhile in a saucepan or kadai heat up enough oil to deep fry the karanjis. Many people also fry the karanjis in clarified butter. So if you want to then by all means go for it :D.
7) Fry the karanjis on medium hot oil for few mins. The karanjis puff up while frying so avoid adding too many karanjis at a time. Add only 2 to 3 at a time. Also do not rush with the frying procedure. Make sure that the oil is not too hot else the karnajis will brown quickly and the outer cover will remain raw. Fry the karanjis till it is lightly golden brown.
8) Place the fried karanjis into a plate with a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.
9) Let the karanjis cool completely and then transfer them into an airtight container. They will stay good for a few weeks if stored properly.
I hope you liked this recipe.
Here's wishing everyone a happy and safe Diwali. :)