Holi 2021: Easy recipe for Chanderkala Gujiya to enjoy this Festival of Colours

Here is an uncomplicated recipe for Chanderkala Gujiya, a dish typical to the festival of colours, check it out...

Holi is one of the most joyous and looked forward to festivals celebrated by Indians around the world. Better known as the festival of colours, it seems the coronavirus pandemic may dampen the spirit of the festival as it will be against health and safety regulations to go out and play with colours, water, water balloons, pichkaris and other paraphernalia in the midst of the growing coronavirus cases. However if there is one aspect of the festival that will remain unchanged, it is the food and drink, and one can always make merry in the company of those who they live with rather than put oneself in danger of contracting the virus. Gujiya and thandai are two such staples associated with this festival, they can also be prepared in advance and stored for later use. Here is an uncomplicated recipe for Chanderkala Gujiya, a dish typical to the festival of colours, check it out:

CHANDERKALA GUNJIYA

Ingredients

Refined Flour 1 cup

Khoya a pinch

Ghee 1 1/2 tablespoons

Khoya/mawa grated 3/4 cup

Castor sugar (caster sugar) 1/2 cup

Almonds coarsely powdered 6

Green cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar 1 1/4 cups

Saffron (kesar) a few threads

Method

1. For the pastry, Take flour into a bowl. Rub in one and a half teaspoons of ghee and knead into a firm dough using water as required. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
2. For the filling, cook the khoya in a non-stick pan on low heat, stirring continuously, for three to four minutes. Add the caster sugar, almonds, cashew nuts and cardamom powder, and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
3. For the syrup, cook the sugar with one and one-fourth cups of water in a non-stick pan, stirring till the sugar dissolves. Add the milk and collect the scum which rises to the surface with a ladle and discard. Cook till the syrup attains a one-thread consistency. Add the saffron and stir. Keep the syrup hot.
4. Divide the dough into twenty equal portions. Roll out each portion into a three-inch puri. Take two puri at a time. Place one tablespoon of khoya filling in the centre of one puri and cover with the other puri. Moisten the edges and pinch or twist the edges in a pattern to seal firmly.
5. Heat sufficient ghee in a non-stick kadai and deep-fry the chandrakala, on medium heat, till golden brown. Drain and soak immediately in the hot syrup.
6. When the chandrakala are coated on all sides with the sugar syrup, gently remove and serve.

(Recipe by Bharti Sanghai, LIFE- Artisanal Foods brand)