Gujiya Recipe: A Festive Favourite With a Healthy Twist

by Rotimatic Team September 28, 2024

If you've grown up in India, you also would have enjoyed many festivals and the joy of celebrating each festival. Every festival was like a magical time, with families and friends coming together, mothers and grandmothers cooking special treats and sweets for everyone, and the atmosphere would turn vibrant and joyful. For me, a festival always meant my grandmother making her special gujiyas in our small, cozy kitchen and filling the entire house with the sweet aroma. This golden-fried, crescent-shaped sweet holds a very special place in my heart. The sweet dumpling with its crispy shell and a delicious nutty filling is a family favorite, and any celebration is incomplete in our home without the gujiyas. Making gujiyas for festivals has been a beloved tradition in our family for generations. As a kid, I would always wait for gujiyas, and every time they were made, I would cherish each bite of the festive treat, savoring its flaky pastry shell and the tastiest filling inside.

Close your eyes for a minute and think of those days of eating gujiyas with your loved ones, and then imagine the joy it will bring you if you make it today! With a melody of golden crust, finely chopped nuts, and dried fruits with just a hint of aromatic spices, the gujiya recipe is no less than a family heirloom. Today, I will share the heirloom gujiya recipe with you, hoping that it will bring you as much happiness and make your festivities more special. The recipe for gujiya is slightly time-consuming, but following the right steps and being well-prepared will make it easy for you. It is definitely well worth your time and effort!

What is Gujiya?

Gujiya is a popular North Indian sweet. It has a dumpling-shaped pastry shell which is filled with khoya (mawa) and is usually deep-fried. Gujiya resembles a Mexican empanada. It has a flaky, crispy crust and melt-in-the-mouth stuffing, making it a crowd favorite! Gujiyas are made during festivals, especially Holi and Diwali. It is made across India; the pastry's name and stuffing might change, but the basic concept is the same. Traditionally, the outer pastry of gujiya is made from all-purpose flour, and the stuffing is made with dry fruits, mawa, and nuts. All-purpose flour dough is made, and small rotis are rolled from it. The rotis are stuffed with a filling made with sugar, mawa, and nuts and then shaped into a crescent-shaped dumpling. Once ready, the gujiya is deep-fried, but you can also bake or air-fry gujiyas. You can enjoy gujiya just by itself or take it up a notch and serve it with some chilled rabri (sweetened milk dessert).

How to Make Gujiya?

Each home has its version of gujiya and slight variations in the recipe or ingredients. However, the basic gujiya recipe and ingredients remain common in all versions. It is not difficult to make gujiya, but it is more technical, meaning you have to learn the technique of kneading the dough, shaping it, and frying it correctly. You have to start with making dough, then filling it, and lastly, assembling and shaping the gujiyas. It's a fun process, and you will enjoy making it. The mawa gujiya recipe and ingredient list is given:

For the Dough

Whole Wheat Flour -1 Cup: Whole wheat flour makes the gujiyas healthier, adding more fiber to it. Its nutty flavor also complements the sweet filling.
All-purpose flour - ½ cup: To knead the perfect dough with the correct consistency and flakiness on frying, we need all-purpose flour. It will ensure the gujiyas are not too dense or heavy but remain nice and tender.
Ghee - 2 tsp: To bind the dough and give it the flaky yet melt-in-the-mouth quality, ghee (clarified butter) is a must. It provides the crust with a rich and buttery taste.
Water - 1/4 cup (or as needed): Water is required to knead the dough and make it soft and easy to roll and shape.
Salt - A pinch: A little salt balances all the flavors and compliments the sweetness.

For the Filling

Khoya/Mawa - 250 gm: The main ingredient of the gujiya filling is the khoya (milk solids), which makes the mawa gujiya creamy and pairs quite well with sugar and nuts.
Sugar - 3 TBSP: No sweet is complete without its sweetening element.
Mixed Nuts - Handful: A handful of chopped nuts give the filling a good crunch and nutty flavor. Just what a festival recipe requires!
Cardamom Powder - A pinch: Cardamom powder infuses the filling with warm, aromatic spice, elevating the flavors and giving our Gujiya its signature taste.

Gujiya Recipe

Step 1: In a pan, add ghee, raisins, almonds and cashews for 30 sec then add mawa to roast for 5-6 minutes, stir constantly. Once mawa has thickened, add sugar a little at a time to not liquefy the filling. Continue stirring for 5 minutes on low flame, till light brown tint.

Step 2:Cool it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Start making Puris. Fill Puri disc with 1-2 tbsp of the filling.

Step 3: Close the discs using water all around and locking with a fork or fold it inwards.

Step 4: Keep it aside on parchment paper to dry for a few minutes before frying. Deep fry Gujiya in the combination ghee/oil solution till golden brown on medium heat.

Step 5: Serve and enjoy!

How Can You Make Gujiya Healthier?

Most of us love gujiya, but we also need to watch what we eat and be mindful of our eating habits. Cutting off deep-fried food or sweets completely is not required, but a few smart and healthy tweaks to recipes can surely make the recipe more diet-friendly, and we can do it without any guilt. For gujiya, you can swap the deep-frying with baking or air-frying the gujiyas. So, you can still savor the taste, relish the feeling of eating gujiyas for Diwali, and not even feel like you have cheated on your diet.

Baked Gujiya

Take a 9*13 inch baking tray and parchment paper.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brush all the gujiyas with melted ghee or oil.
Set the gujiyas in the baking tray on the parchment paper to avoid them sticking to the tray.
Bake the gujiya for 25-30 minutes. Halfway, turn them and again apply some ghee or oil. Bake again till the outer crust is nice and light brown.

Air Fried Gujiya

(Note: Completely UNPLUG the Instant Pot unit before proceeding with this recipe.)

Line the crispy basket with parchment paper.
Place the gujiya in the crispy basket carefully.
Apply some oil on top of the gujiya.
Place the trivet (that comes with the air fryer lid) inside the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
Place the crispy basket on top of the trivet.
Put the air fryer lid on top of the inner pot. Plug it and lower the handle.
Air fry the gujiya at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30mins, turning them halfway through. Again, apply some ghee or oil and fry until the crust is light brown.

Conclusion

Gujiya brings back fond festive memories and remains a favorite even today. All my festivities and celebrations are incomplete without this flaky and nutty sweet treat, and I am sure you will enjoy it as much. With all the healthy cooking options, you can enjoy gujiya guilt-free. No celebration is complete without some sweet indulgences, so go for it and make these gujiyas to elevate your festival spread!