Gulkand Flavored Mava Gujiya / Festive Cooking

Holi is a Hindu spring festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Phalguna month (February-March). This colorful festival marks the arrival of spring season and Indians all over the world celebrate it with great enthusiasm and zeal. Huge bonfires are lit on the eve of full moon day to signify the victory of good over evil. The next day is a fun filled celebration where people dance, sing , throw colors on each other and enjoy delicacies specially made for the occasion.

In Maharashtra, there is a tradition to make Puranpoli as an offering to the Holika Dahan Puja. In North India , a variety of savories, sweets and drinks are made for the occasion . Gujiya is one such festive sweet dish. In fact for many people , Holi is incomplete without Gujiya !

Gujiya is a sweet dumpling made from refined flour which is stuffed with a filling made from sweetened mava (khoya), and dry fruits. The gujiya so made is then deep fried. In Maharashtra we make a similar sweet dumpling called as Karanji during Diwali festival. I have shared the recipe of Pudachi Karanji ( layered gujiya) earlier where a stuffing made from coconut, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, powdered sugar and nuts is stuffed in the Layered Gujiya)

This time i tried making a Gujiya from whole wheat flour and suji instead of refined flour and trust me it came out really well. There is no added sugar in the stuffing, as i have used dates and raisins with khoya (mava). Nuts like pistachio and almond give crunch to the Gujiya . For flavoring, i have used Gulkand (rose petal jam) , which compliments very well with the mava. For those who want to cut down the extra calories of deep frying , can either bake or air fry the gujiya. 

                              

                            

    

The gujiya turned out to be flaky on the outside and soft, naturally sweet from inside with a cool flavor of gulkand and a bite from the nuts. All in all a delicious treat to the taste buds. I always use home made khoya for making sweets and trust me it is worth all the energy and time consumed. It is not only fresh but is adulteration free and so safe. You can make khoya / mava at home . (click on the highlighted word for the link to the recipe). 

                     

Video Recipe for Mava Gujiya 

                      

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Servings:12 

Ingredients: Measurements used - 1 cup = 200 ml

For the covering:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoon suji / semolina
• 2 tablespoon clarified butter / ghee
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 4 tablespoon warm milk or as required to knead the flour
• Salt to taste

For the stuffing:

• 100 grams crumbled evaporated milk solids / Khoya / Mava
• 1/2 cup finely chopped seedless dates
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut 
• 3 tablespoon gulkand (rose petal jam)
• 2 tablespoon raisins
• 2 tablespoon chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoon chopped pistachios
• 1 teaspoon of ghee

Other Ingredients:

• Oil for deep frying
• Chopped pistachio and rose petals for garnishing (optional)

Method: 

1. For making the covering for gujiya, in a bowl take whole wheat flour, suji, salt and sugar. Mix it. To this add hot ghee and mix well to get a bread crumb like consistency.

  2. Now add warm milk little by little and knead the flour into a stiff dough. The amount of milk required depends on the flour . I used 4 tablespoon of milk .

  3. Cover the dough with a moist muslin cloth and set aside for 15 minutes.

 4. Meanwhile we will make the stuffing. In a non stick wok heat 1 teaspoon of ghee and add the crumbled khoya and roast on a low heat until the fat separates. Take care the khoya doesn't stick to the bottom. Put off the flame, remove khoya on to a plate and allow it to cool down completely.

  5. In a plate take the chopped dates, nuts , raisins and gulkand and add the cooled khoya to it and mix well. Our stuffing is ready.

  6. Knead the dough again for a while and make 12 equal portions. Keep the dough balls covered with a moist muslin cloth until use to avoid them from drying out. Roll out each dough ball into a small disc with a rolling pin, without adding any flour.

 7. Place the disc on the plam and add 1 tablespoon filling on half portion of it with a spoon. Apply little water on the edges of the dough disc and place the other end over the one haffing stuffing, to get a half moon shape. Apply little pressure on the edges to seal them .

8. Now starting from the right corner start making pleats on the edges to make a beautiful pattern around the stuffed gujiya. This requires practice. If you are not able to make pattern the way i have shown in the pictures. Simply make impressions using a fork on the edges. 

  9. Ideally the gujiya are shaped and deep fried immediately individually as there are many people in Indian families during festivals. But if you do not have a helping hand, shape all the gujiyas first and cover them with a moist muslin cloth and then fry them in batches, the way i have done. 

  10. Heat enough oil in a deep wok on medium flame and deep fry the gujiya in batches, until they are crisp and gloden brown from both the sides.

  11. Remove the fried gujiya with a perforated ladle and allow them to drain on an absorbent paper.

  12. Allow the gujiya to cool down completely before transferring them to an air tight container. 

  12. Enjoy the delicious mava gujiya with your loved ones !

  Notes:

• You can add chopped dried figs and other nuts of your choice to the stuffing.
• If you do not have gulkand , you can flavor the gujiya with cardamom powder.
• Make a stiff dough for the outer covering, or else the gujiya will turn soft after few hours of deep frying. 
• You can use half quantity of refined four along with whole wheat flour for better texture. 
• Keep the dough balls and shaped gujiya covered during the working time to prevent them from drying out.

For more Holi special dishes, do check out my posts on

• Thandai
• Colorful Matri
• Kesar Madam Matka Kulfi
• Namak Pare
• Gulkand Flavored Bottle Gourd Fudge
• Puranpoli
• Khoya Gulab Jamun
• Sponge Rasgulla
• Dahi Papdi Chaat
• Onion Fritters
• Sev
• Kalakand
• Layered Gujiya
• Home made Khoya / Mava

                    Wishing in advance a joyous and blessed Holi to all those who celebrate !