Neori

Ingredients

• Dough (Makes 24)
• Refined flour (Maida) 2 cups
• Clarified butter (Ghee) 2 tbsp
• Water to mix
• Filling
• Dried Coconut, grated ½ cup
• Sugar ½ cup
• Poppy seeds (khus khus) ¼ cup
• Green cardamom powdered ½ tsp
• Cashew nuts (Kaju) finely chopped   2 tbsp
• Raisins (Kishmish) 2 tbsp
• Oil for deep-frying

Preparation

• Rub ghee into the flour and knead into firm dough with water. Leave to rest, covered, for at least half an hour.

• For the filling: dry roast the cashew nuts. Add the poppy seeds and roast further till slightly darker. Add the coconut, sugar, cardamom and raisins and continue sautéing till a little ‘wet’. Keep aside to cool.

• 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 some 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 pressing with a fork along the entire joint.

• Leave thus for half an hour or so, turning once.

• Heat oil in a wok/kadahi. When a piece of dough thrown in comes up at once, the oil is ready.

• Add as many neoris as fit in comfortably. Turn them over and lower the heat to medium. Fry till golden brown on all sides. Lift out and leave to drain on absorbent paper.

• Fry the rest, increasing the heat for a few seconds before adding the next lot. Can be eaten hot or at room temperature and can be stored in air tight containers.