Gujiya Recipe (Fried and Baked)

Making the pastry

1. Take the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Heat ghee in a small pan or bowl until it melts and becomes warm. Pour the ghee on the flours.
3. First mix the ghee with a spoon. Then rub and mix the ghee with the flours, with your fingertips to form a bread crumb like texture.
4. Add water in parts and begin to knead. The amount of water needed will depend on the quality and texture of the flour.
5. Knead the dough till firm and tight. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.

Making sweet stuffing

1. Crumble or grate the khoya (mawa).
2. Chop the nuts, raisins and set aside.
3. Melt ghee in a pan on a low heat.
4. Add the crumbled or grated khoya.
5. Stir the khoya continuously on a low heat.
6. Cook the khoya, till it begins to gather around itself. Switch off the heat and place the pan on the kitchen countertop. Let the khoya stuffing cool completely at room temperature.
7. Later add powdered sugar, the chopped nuts, raisins and cardamom powder. Better to sieve the powdered sugar if there are lumps.
8. Mix everything well and keep the stuffing aside. Check the taste and add more sugar if you prefer.

Assembling and shaping

1. Divide the dough into two parts.
2. Make a medium log of each part and slice it into equal parts.
3. Roll each part in your palms to make balls and place all the balls in the same bowl. Cover with a moist kitchen towel.
4. Dust the rolling board lightly with some flour. Roll each ball with the rolling pin to a small circle having 4 to 5 inches diameter. Don't add too much flour while rolling. If you can roll without the flour, then it is better.
5. With your fingertip or a pastry brush, apply water all over the circumference edge.
6. Place about 1 to 1.5 tablespoon of the prepared khoya filling on one side of the circle, keeping the edges empty. Don’t add too much of stuffing as it becomes difficult to shape gujiya and they may break in the oil.
7. Carefully, bring together both the edges and join. Gently press the edges.
8. With a small gujiya cutter or pizza cutter, trim the extra edges. When doing this method, it is very important that the gujiya is pressed and sealed well. Avoid this method if you plan to fry the gujiya. If baking then this method is good. As even if the filling comes out, you don't have to worry as there is no mess.
9. However, it is best to make pleated design at the edges if you plan to fry the gujiya. This way the stuffing does not come out while frying and the gujiya look good too. Just keep on folding and twisting the edges till the end.
10. Prepare gujiya this way and arrange them on a plate or tray. Cover the guijya with a moist napkin so that the dough does not dry out.

Baking gujiya

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius (390 degree fahrenheit). Brush oil or melted ghee n the gujiya evenly all over.
2. Place them in a baking tray.
3. Bake the mawa gujiya for 20 to 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius (390 degree Fahrenheit), until they are golden. Oven temperatures vary, so do keep a check while baking. Place them on a wire rack for cooling. Once cooled, store them in an air-tight jar or box.

Frying gujiya

1. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
2. First test the temperature of oil, before frying. Add a small piece of the dough in the oil. If the dough comes up gradually and briskly, then the oil is ready. If the dough sits at the bottom, the oil is still cold. If the piece of dough comes up briskly and quickly, the oil is too hot.
3. Gently slid the gujiya in oil. Just add a few pieces and don't overcrowd. At a time depending on the size of the pan/wok/kadai, you can fry 2 to 3 gujiya at a time on medium-heat.
4. Turn them over carefully as fry the other side. Deep fry till they have become golden turning over as needed.
5. Drain on kitchen paper tissues. Fry all gujiya this way and once they are cooled completely at room temperature, store them in an air-tight box.
6. Serve gujiya to your family and guests when required.

Serving suggestions

1. Gujiya is eaten like any Indian sweet as it is. If you fancy something more indulgent, pair the mawa gujiya with some Rabri (thickened sweetened milk).

Storage

1. When the gujia cools at room temperature, immediately place them in an air-tight jar. They stay good for a few hours at room temperature. Since the stuffing is made with milk solids, I suggest to keep any leftovers in the refrigerator for about 1 to 2 days.