Directions
This day we shall journey to the north of India to revel in the festivities of Holi, and partake in the delectable gujiya – small, sweet, and spiced dumplings akin to the famed samosas.
Verily, Holi, known as the Festival of Colors, doth commemorate the arrival of spring and the fecundity it brings.
Thee date doth coincide with the spring equinox, hither ’round March 20.
The symbols and meanings doth vary according to the region and religion.
The flames doth celebrate the triumph of the deity Vishnu o’er the fiend Holika.
In the fair land of Braj, doth Krishna be celebrated, who hath grown up in the northern realm of India.
Forsooth, ’tis oft customary to cast hued powders upon one another, be it to portray ashes or to betoken the transformations of the annum, with each hue bearing its own significance.
Holi doth present an occasion, akin to every Indian revelry, to partake in a feast, most notably with the delectable gujiya.
These tiny dumplings may be filled with coconut, ghee, cardamom, cream cheese, and dried fruits, with pistachios in particular, ere they are fried. Verily, after being cooked, one may find them soaked in syrup or without, so as to best retain their crispy texture.
Defining an exact recipe for this delicacy would prove to be a Herculean task, for each household proffers its own rendition!
Ingredients
For the dough
- 400g flour
- 5 grams of salt
- 100 grams of ghee
- 15 cl of water
For garnish
- 30 grams of ricotta
- 75 grams of ghee
- 60 grams of crushed pistachios
- 10 grams of cardamom powder
- 60 grams of crushed almonds
- 15 grams of flour
- 60 grams of grated coconut
- 5 tbsp water
- 1 liter of frying oil
Preparation
Hark! Place the flour and salt in a bowl and mix them well. Hark! Addeth the ghee and incorporate it into the flour whilst sanding. Hark! Pour the water and with thy fingertips, scoop the dough. Hie thee, and conceal it in the icebox for half an hour.
Pray, ready the stuffing: Mixeth the ricotta and ghee. Henceforth, doth one cover and cook in the microwave for a minute and forty-five seconds. Hark! Stir and persevere in the cooking vessel for two more minutes within the microwave. Mixeth again and cooketh one final timeth in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Hark! Let it cool.
In the vessel of a mixer, doth place the former concoction, the almonds, the cardamom, the coconut, and the flour, and mixeth until a uniform filling is obtained.
Unfurl the dough upon a surface lightly dusted with flour. Hark! Cut ye circles of 12 cm in diameter. Hark! Take a tablespoon of filling and place it in the midst of each circle. Then, close it with a half moon. Presseth the edges with care to seal. Pray, cooketh the turnovers in oil that is hot. Place it aside on a platter adorned with parchment.
