Karijikai/Karanji is a deep-fried pastry filled with sweet filling. If you are wondering what Gujiya is, well, it is similar to Karanji and referred to as Gujiya in northern parts of India while it is called karanji in the southern part of India.
Ingredients
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1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida)
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1/4 cup Sooji (Semolina/ Rava)
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3 tablespoon Rice flour
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2 tablespoon Ghee
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Water, for the dough
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Oil, to fry
For Stuffing
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1/2 cup Roasted Gram Dal (Pottukadalai)
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1/4 cup Fresh coconut, grated
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1/2 cup Jaggery, grated
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1/2 teaspoon Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)
How to make Karjikai (Karnataka Style Deep Fried Sweet Pastry Recipe)
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To prepare Karjikai (Karnataka Style Deep Fried Sweet Pastry Recipe), make the pastry dough. To make the dough, In a small pan, heat ghee.
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In a mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, rava, and rice flour. Combine them together. Add the heated ghee to the flour mixture. The ghee should be really hot, such that once added to the flour, the flour bubbles up.
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Combine them together with a hand. The mixture resembles breadcrumbs. The ghee should be added hot to the flour for the crispy flaky outer layer.
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Add water and knead the dough. Ensure the dough is not too soft.
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Cover the kneaded dough with a damp cloth until they are fried. This prevents the dough from losing its moisture and avoids cracks while frying.
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Let’s prepare the filling now. In a mixer, add roasted chana dal and coconut. Grind them into a coarse powder in a mixer grinder. Add grated jaggery to the mixture and combine them well.
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To prepare karjikai, take a lemon-sized dough and make a small ball out of it.
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Roll them into a small circle of 2mm thickness. Ensure to cover the remaining dough with a damp cloth.
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Now, you can shape Karjikai with moulds if you have one. Else, cut the rolled dough into circles using a cookie cutter or with a simple jar lid.
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Place a spoonful of stuffing on one side of the rolled dough. Brush the edges of the circle with water.
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Fold the pastry to form a semicircle. Ensure the edges are sealed completely and there is no gap left.
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Now, mark the edges with a fork to give them shapes and stick them together. Else, you can just fold the edges a bit to seal them together.
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Cover the filled pastries with a damp cloth.
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Repeat the same procedure for all the balls.
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Heat oil in a kadai. Once the oil is hot, drop a small ball of flour into the oil. If the flour raises up steadily, then the oil is perfect for frying.
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Fry karjikai one by one on medium heat until they turn golden in colour. Flip the karjikai halfway.
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Serve the Karjikai warm or allow them to cool down completely to store them in an airtight container.
Source: Archanas Kitchen
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