Gujiya is a dessert that is made on Holi- festival of colors. It is shaped like an empanada which is Spanish style pastry with savory filling inside. Gujiya is filled with milk solids or khoa or mawa. Gujiya is regularly made in my kitchen on Holi and Diwali- festival of lights.
This is a guilt free version of the same dessert minus the oil. So, it can be classified as healthy. Of course there is sugar, all purpose flour (which is stripped of all its nutrients) and fat in the form of khoa. Making gujiya in the oven started as an experiment which was loved by my family. We didn’t miss the conventional style of making it, the taste wasn’t compromised.
This year I tried adding colors to the dough, of course natural colors. I used saffron for yellow, beet juice for pink and butterfly pea flower powder for blue. The saffron gujiya had a prominent saffron flavor but the pink and blue gujiya tasted like a regular gujiya. The color was just for the impact and for Holi everything can be colorful right?
Servings
Makes about 35-40
Prep Time
20 minutes making dough, 30 minutes rest time, 30-40 minutes filling gujiya
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
About 1 hour 30 minutes
For regular gujiya:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp oil/ ghee
- Pinch of salt
- 2-3 tbsp water
For Saffron gujiya:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 25 strands of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp milk
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp oil/ghee
- Water as needed
Beet powder gujiya:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp oil/ ghee
- 1 tsp beet juice powder
- Pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp water
Butterfly Pea Flower gujiya:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp oil/ ghee
- 1 tsp butterfly pea flower powder
- Pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp water
- Oil/ghee to brush while baking
For filling:
- 1 12 oz pack of khoa
- ¾ -1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup sooji
- ¼ cup dry coconut
- 4 tbsp almonds, slivered or thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp golden raisins
Step 1
Make dough for gujiya using the ingredients mentioned in each section. Cover and rest for 20-30 minutes separately.
Step 2
Soften khoa by placing in the microwave. Take a pan, add khoa and saute for about 8 minutes. Keep aside.
Step 3
In the same pan add sooji and roast for 5 minutes. Add to the khoa and roast coconut for 3-4 minutes until light brown. Add raisins and almonds and cool the filling ingredients.
Step 4
Make 8-10 portions out of each color of dough and roll the dough as thin as possible. Make sure to keep the dough and the filling covered as you are working to prevent from drying.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. To fill the gujiya take about a tbsp of the filling and place it on one side of the rolled circle, dampen the edges with water and seal completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Step 6
Place the prepared gujiya on a baking sheet brushed with ghee. Brush ghee on the top of the gujiya and bake for about 20 minutes.
Step 7
Turn over the gujiya half way through and brush with ghee on the other side.
Step 8
If the gujiya is not golden brown at the end of 20 minutes, broil for a minute or two by turning over once again. Keep a close eye while broiling so it won’t burn.
Notes:
Be liberal while brushing ghee on top of gujiya while baking.
For saffron gujiya I mentioned water as needed because 2 tbsp milk is used, if you need more add a tbsp or two of water.
The famous proverb "you are what you eat” as quoted by the French author Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is very true. Food nourishes you from the inside out. Good health is of utmost importance to me. Vegetarianism and Veganism are gaining immense popularity these days. Natural, organic, healthy and homemade is my mantra.
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