Karanji / Kajjikayalu ~ Diwali Special

On the occasion of Diwali people all over the country prepare best dishes at their home. There are so many varieties of Diwali dishes . However, sweet and scrumptious Karanji is the special dish that do not have a substitute on Diwali. Karanji, also known as Gujiya and Kajjikayalu is a dish that is famous all over the India. Though preparation of Karanji requires little time and effort, the taste is worth all the patience. One major advantage of Karanji is that it can be stored for weeks and used as dessert as well as snacks. It can be eaten anytime of the day and makes a great tea time snack .The sweetness of the karanji is subtle that you can easily have 2 to 3 karanjis without feeling heavy.


Ingredients

Oil /Dalda for deep frying

For Stuffing:

* 1 cup grated dry coconut
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 pinch nutmeg powder
* 4 elaichi / cardamom powder
* 2 tsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
* 2 tbsp mixed dry fruit pieces

For Dough:

* 1 cup maida
* 1 tsp ghee (butter)
* salt (pinch)
* warm milk


Method

In order to prepare Karanji, you will have to first prepare dough and then prepare the stuffing. Once you are done with both of them, you simply need to fill the stuffing and deep fry the Karanji.

Dough Preparation:

Mix 1 cup maida, 1 tbsp ghee, a pinch of salt and warm milk to prepare the dough, try to keep the dough a little hard.Keep this dough aside, covered, for about 2 hours.
Stuffing Preparation:

1. Roast dry coconut.
2. Roast poppy seeds.
3. Mix all the ingredients roasted coconut ,roasted poppy seeds,powdered sugar,nutmeg powder ,cardamom powder,mixed dry fruit pieces and mix them well.

Karanji Preparation:

1. Roll small oval shaped puris from the hard dough.
2. Now place the prepared stuffing in the middle of it.
3. Fold the puri in half so that the two ends meet each other. Cut off the extra dough using a cutter, which will give the karanji its wavy border.
4. Stick both the corners of the puri by applying some water or milk so that it will seal properly. Remember not to apply too much of water as it will not seal properly.
5. Deep fry it in dalda /oil till it becomes golden brown color.
6. Follow the same procedure for the other parts of the dough.
7. After they are fried, transfer the karanjis to a tray lined with paper towels. The paper towels will absorb the excess oil or dalda.
8. Once the karanjis cool to room temperature, they are ready to serve.
9. Karanjis can be stored for weeks.

Tip:-

If you are using 1/2 kg Maida then add 1/4 cup dalda or ghee
If you deep fry karanjis in dalda it tastes more good.

This recipe is reaching Diwali 2009 contest hosted by Priya

and

Diwali Dhamaka hosted by Purva