Kajjikayalu / Gujia

   Today I am sharing a simple sweet recipe which can be offered as a prasadam to God during puja or festive days. That is Kajjikayalu in Telugu and Gujia in Hindi. This is a traditional dish which was prepared by our grandmothers and mothers. I remember my grandmother preparing all these dishes during festive seasons. My grandmother had some magic in her hands and whatever she used to prepare was so awesome that we used to just keep licking our fingers.

   There are many variations for the stuffing that goes inside the gujias.
We can prepare the stuffing with coconut, carrots, rice flakes, dry fruits, etc.,. Today I have mentioned a very simple stuffing which is a combination of coconut and sesame seeds. It is very healthy as it does not contain any sugar. You must be wondering how we get a sweet without sugar. Now, that's a secret ingredient. Now-a-days everyone is health conscious and we try to reduce the intake of sugar. But there should be some alternative for sugar. In most of the sweet recipes that I prepare I tend to find substitutes for sugar. In this recipe, I have added an alternative that is very healthy. That is nothing but - Dates. So, the following gujia has the goodness of coconut, sesame seeds and dates.

Method :

Dry roast the grated coconut, i.e,. without any oil or ghee. Fry until there is no moisture and becomes dry. Transfer to another plate.

In the same pan, dry roast sesame seeds until they change the colour to light brown. A nice aroma comes from the sesame seeds. If you pop in a few seeds in your mouth, they will be crunchy and nice to eat. Add this to the roasted coconut and keep aside.

De-seed the dates and chop them roughly. Dry roast these dates in the same pan until they become soft.

Mix this to the coconut mixture. Mix properly such that all the three ingredients are mixed well. Allow this to cool completely. Taste this mixture to see if sweet is sufficient for you. If you want more sweet add some more dates.

Take maida in another bowl and add warm oil. This is necessary for the gujias to come crispy. Mix well.

Adding water little by little, make a soft dough and knead well. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Make small balls out of the dough. Roll these like chapatis with the help of flour and keep aside.

 Take one chapatti at a time and put a small dumpling of coconut mixture on the chapati. Wetting your index finger with water, rub along the edges to seal the edges.

Cover and seal like a semi-circle. Now twist the edges of the so-formed semi-circle ( this is done to ensure that the stuffing does not come out while frying and also gives a nice design ). You can also do this with the help of a gujia mould which is easily available in the market. Do this with the remaining chapathis.

Take oil in a pan and heat it. The oil should be sizzling hot. To check if the oil is hot enough or not, drop a small piece of the maida dough. If it comes up immediately, then this is the right temperature.
Now slowly and carefully, drop 2-4 gujias at a time. reduce the flame to medium high and fry.

Flip them to the other side and fry until they become golden brown. When the bubbles reduce and the golden colour has attained, remove from oil with the help of a slotted ladle. Transfer to an absorbent paper to drain out the excess oil.

Repeat the frying process with the remaining gujias. These stay good for 3-4 days without refrigeration . Enjoy with your family. My kids enjoyed this over a game of Ludo.

Ingredients

Coconut  1 small
Sesame seeds 1/2 cup
Dates 1/2 cup
Maida  1 cup
Warm oil 2tsp
Oil to fry

Preparation :

1. Dry roast grated coconut until it becomes dry and a nice aroma comes from it. Transfer to another plate and allow to cool.
2. In the same pan dry roast sesame seeds until it changes its colour to slight golden brown. Keep stirring continuously so that it doesn't get burnt. Transfer to the plate and allow to cool.
3. Dry roast dates until it becomes soft. Allow it to cool. Once cool, grind to a coarse paste or mash it with a spoon.
4. Mix roasted coconut, sesame seeds and ground dates together and form a nice lump with your hands. Keep aside.
5. Take maida in a bowl and add oil and mix well with your hands. This is necessary for the gujia to come crunchy. Add water little by little and make a soft dough. Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.
6. Make small balls from the dough.
7. Take each ball and roll into small chapathis.
8. In each chapathi put the dates coconut mixture. Wetting your finger, seal the edges in the form of a semi-circle. Twist the edges to give a design and so that the stuffing doesn't come outside while frying.
9. Take a pan and pour oil for deep frying. Allow the oil to become sizzling hot. To check if the oil is hot or not, drop a small piece of maida dough, if it comes up immediately - this is the right temperature.
10. Drop 2-4 gujias at a time as per your comfort. Reduce the flame to medium high and fry the gujias.
11. Flip them over to the other side and fry on both the sides until golden brown.
12. Remove with the help of a slotted ladle and place on a tissue paper to remove the excess oil.
13. Repeat the same process with the remaining gujias and enjoy with your family.
14. These will stay good for 3-4 days without refrigeration.

Notes :

1. Add more dates if you want it more on the sweeter side.
2. Add elaichi to enhance the flavour.
3. You can reduce the amount of dates and add some kismiss.
4. Don't over fill the stuffing in the gujia. In such cases, the stuffing might come out of the gujia while frying. And moreover, there is a chance that the gujia might become soft and soggy once it cools down after frying. It might not remain crunchy.
5. Whatever the stuffing might be, make sure that the stuffing is dry. It should not contain too much of moisture, else it might again make the gujia soft and soggy rather than remaining crunchy.