Happy Holi!

Holi is one of my favorite festivals. Can't remember any one holi when I was not soaked in colored water and my face is not looking like a color pallet. People used to recognize me only by my smile ( colored teeth too!)

If you have been playing holi all your childhood these things should be coming to your mind:

• Spring, sunny day with wind
• Flowers beginning to bloom and dust all around
• Bucket of colored water, pichkari, gubbare(water balloons)
• Holi songs, hasya kavi sammelan on TV
• Neighbours coming to your house with a plate/bag of colors
• A plate of gujiya, namkeen and Gulal ready in your porch for guests
• Bhang, Dahi bhalle and Gujiya :)

Here in US, I miss Holi. Still there are many places, where Indian community is pretty big, people play real holi nowhere less than the one we used to play in India. But what I miss most is Gujiya! Its not easily available in shops and not so easy to make.

Finally, this year I made Gujiya. Being a first timer it tastes really good! Special thanks to Mr. Husband for the help.


I prefer to put photographs but Poonam suggested that I should also write recipes of dishes I make. So here you go!

Dough:

• 1-1/2 cup maida/ all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup oil

Filling:

• 250 gms mawa/khoya
• 150 gms granulated Sugar(crushed like bura)
• 3 tbs kishmis/raisins
• 1 tbs shredded coconut(optional)
• 1 tbs cut cashews(optional)

Sealing:

• 1 tbs maida + 2 tbs water (mix to make a watery/liquidy paste)
• Gijiya maker or Dumpling press or Pierogi maker
  • We didn't find the gujiya maker so had to seal the gujiya manually(it takes away all the beauty)

Oil to fry

Method:

1. First make the filling so that it can cool while you work on dough
2. In a pan, roast mawa/khoya for some time so that it turns light brown/pink.
   • If you use fresh mawa, it will first melt into liquid and then it will start to solidify. keep stirring. Do not over cook.
   • If you use mawa from Indian grocery store ( usually its 'Nanak khoya'). It will not melt and you need to mesh it before roasting. otherwise it will have lumps.
3. Add sugar to mawa. add dry fruits and coconut.
4. Heat for 2 mins. keep stirring
5. Taste for sugar or anything needs to be added. Tasty filling makes tastier gujia.
6. Let it cool
7. Now make dough. Heat the oil for dough little bit. Add oil in the flour.
8. Make dough. It should be hard dough. harder than the Indian puri dough but not too hard.
9. Make small balls of dough. less than 1 inch should be fine.
10. Make thin round sheets
11. Now, add 1 or 2 spoons of filling in the center of round sheet
12. Put sealing mix at the edges of sheet to make a circle.
13. Carefully turn one half of sheet on the other half. take care the filling doesn't come in between the sealing.
14. Press the edges. You can use fork to seal and make design. You can fold the ends to make the design. Overall stress is on carefully folding so that it wont open while frying.
15. Make few and cover with wet cloth.
16. 16) when ready deep fry on low flame. I had little higher flame for few and gujiya turned out to be golden brown. Usually its more on whiter side.
17. See photograph. Few sealed with fork, few folded, few darker and few lighter:) .. (first timer).. All are tasty!

NOTE:

• You can get Gujia maker, Pierogi maker, Dumpling press online or in the market. Need some research.
• You can use dumpling sheets/ wanton wrap sheets. It makes the process way easier.
• Some would prefer to bake in place of frying. Authentic Gujia is deep fried.
  

Happy Holi!