Homemade Mawa Gujiyas
A gujiya is a crescent-shaped pastry filled with a sweet filling. Resembling an empanada, these mawa gujiyas are made during Indian Festivals.
Ingredients
Sweet Mawa Filling
- 1/3 cup Mawa or Khoya (milk solids)
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 1/4 cup Desiccated Coconut Flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped Nuts (like cashew, almond, pistachios)
- 1/4 cup fine Semolina (sooji / rava)
- 1/4 cup fine Sugar (adjust to taste)
Pastry Dough
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3 Tbsp Veg Oil or Ghee
- 1/3 cup Warm Water
Other ingredients
- Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
Preparing the Sweet Mawa Filling
- First dry roast the semolina or sooji until golden, and set aside
- Heat ghee in a pan, add mawa and mix well. Cook on medium low heat and keep breaking up and stirring for 2-3 minutes until mixture is crumbly
- Add the desiccated coconut and nuts and roast until aromatic, then add back the toasted semolina (sooji) and mix well)
- Let the mixture COOL COMPLETELY. This step is very important.
- Add sugar after mixture cools, and mix well. Adjust for sugar if needed. Set aside.
Preparing the Pastry Dough
- Add flour, salt and oil or ghee in a bowl and mix fat into the flour.
- Add the warm water & mix well. Knead until its a soft dough, rest for 30 minutes.
Making the Gujiyas
- Divide dough into equal portions, roll into neat balls, keep them covered.
- Flour the work surface, roll each ball of dough into 1/4 inch thin disk.
- Add 1-2 Tbsp of filling on one side of the disk, leaving some gap on the edges. The amount of filling you add will depend on how big or small your disks are.
- Close other half onto the half with the filling, press to seal the edges complety. You can use a fork to reinforce or make a design. Or use your fingers to form a twisted pattern on the edges.
- Once all of the gujiyas are shaped, heat some oil in a pan, and drop a few at a time. Don't overcrowd the pan. Fry on medium heat for a few minutes on each side until the gujiyas are flaky, golden brown and fully cooked!
Serving & Storing the Gujiyas
- Serve at room temperature as is, or as a tea-time snack.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 months.
Video
Notes
Mawa / Khoya: This is nothing but milk solids that are left behind when you boil the milk on medium low heat for a long time. You do get them in Indian stores, but they can get a bit expensive. I just made mine with 500 mls of milk, and kept storirng and cooking until all the liquid evaporated.