Gujiya

Ingredients

• Dough:
• Refined flour (Maida) 2 cups (240 g)
• Clarified butter (Ghee) ¼ cup (60 g)
• Cold water to mix
• Filling:   Condensed solidified Milk (Khoya ) ½ cup packed (120 g)  
• Sugar ½ cup (120 g)
• Green cardamom (Chhoti elaichi) powdered   ½ tsp
• Finely chopped almonds 1 tbsp
• Clarified Butter (Ghee) for deep frying

Preparation

• Rub the ¼ cup clarified butter into the flour to resemble bread crumbs then knead into stiff dough with the water. Leave to rest for at least ½ an hour.

• For the filling, sauté the khoya over medium heat till it looks slightly fried (excess moisture dries up). Take it off the heat, and when cool, mix in the sugar, cardamom and almonds.

• Shape the filling into ovals about 2 ½ cm (1") long and ½ cm (1/4") thick.

• Make balls of the dough and roll out into ¼ cm (1/8") thick rounds.

• Take a round, wet the edges with water and place a piece of filling over one half. Fold the other half over and press the edges together to seal. Either cut off the edge with a fancy cutter, or make a design by pinching and twisting all along the sealed edge. Make up all the `gujiyas’ in this way.

• Heat the clarified butter in a wok/kadahi till a piece of dough thrown in comes up at once. Add as many 'gujiyas' as come in comfortably, turn them and lower the heat to medium. Let them fry till a golden brown on all sides (takes about 15 minutes). Lift them out and leave to drain on absorbent paper.

• Fry the rest, increasing the heat for a few seconds before adding the next lot. These can be eaten hot or room temperature, and are stored in air-tight containers, as they last for a couple of months at least.