Karanji - Gujiya - Fresh Coconut Karanji - Fried Sweet Dumpling with Coconut Filling

For my Diwali Faral, along with Besan Ladoo I made these Fresh Coconut Karanji/Gujiya as they are my hubby's absolute favorite. They look fancy but are really easy to make. 


Karanji is basically a half moon shaped sweet which is stuffed with a mixture of coconut & sugar/jaggery & then deep fried to get Cripsy karanji's. Although made from Fresh coconut, these stay good in an airtight container for good 3-4 days. I bet they wont last that long as they are too tempting to resist. I was left with only these 7 Gujiya's to shoot the recipe as me & my Hubby just couldn't stop munching the hot & crisp karanji. Karanji is made around Holi, Diwali Or even Ganesh Chathurthi. Honestly, you don't need a occasion to enjoy these sweet dumpling. Make these in small batches & consume as required to satisfy those sweet cravings. 

For More Diwali Recipes click here : Diwali Sweets and Savory Snacks

Ingredients: (makes 11-12 karanjis)
For the Coconut filling

1 cup of fresh grated coconut (or use the frozen one)
1/2 cup of regular sugar (or to taste)
5-6 cardamoms freshly & coarsely ground
5-6 cashews (or any dry fruit of your choice) coarsely chopped

For the Covering
1/2 cup of All purpose flour (maida)
1 tbsp of melted ghee (clarified butter)
salt to taste
Water as required (approximately 1/2 cup)
Ghee/Oil for frying
some Rice flour for dusting. 

Method: 

For the Coconut Filling: 

Heat pan on low to medium heat & add the coconut to it. Roast it well till light brown stirring continuously. Then add the sugar & roast again till mixture is well combined & sugar is slightly caramelized. Then add the cardamom & cashews & mix well. Swtich off the gas & allow this mixture to cool. 

For the Covering: 

Take the All purpose flour in a mixing bowl & to that add ghee & salt. Mix gently. Then using luke warm water make a soft dough. Cover for 30 mins & keep aside. 

To Make Karanji/Gujiya: 

Take a small portion of the dough (slightly bigger than marble) & make a smooth ball. 
Using a rolling pin, roll this dough in to thin circular shape (thinner the circle crispier the karanji will be) 
Dip the dough into rice flour if you finding it difficult to roll. 
Place a tbsp of the coconut filling (or as much as it can hold) at the center of the circle. 
Apply water/milk to the edges & fold the Karanji to close & form a half moon shape.
Using a pizza cutter remove any excess dough you may have at the sealed edges & shape them using a fork. 
Keep aside by covering with a wet cloth to prevent them from drying. 
Continue making the remaining karanji's in same manner. 

Heat the ghee in a wok & fry these Karanji's till crisp & golden. Remove & Drain on absorbent paper 

That's it, our crisp & sweet coconut filled Karanji / Gujiya are ready, Enjoy them with Tea or simply as dessert/snacks. 

Happy Cooking!!
Shweta