holi ki guzia

hey....wishing a colorful holi to everybody......................it's the eve of holi today and ' banaras ka khana ' definitely owes the recipe of guzia .......making these guzias always reminds me of my early days when we all used to take leave and prepare guzias collectively at home.........today when i am cought up in so many other things and like most of other people feel like dropping the idea of making them at home , i am happy that every year i manage to make at least some ......... it really takes you back memory lane n you get transported into your past........which is always beautiful.................despite all the hassles, i make sure the traditional recipes are made at home ...........this is my way of having a feel of the festival , celebrating it..........believe me i was so happy to do it all........and at the end when you get to taste the fruit of your labour..........it is out of this world.............i would always suggest to try n make the traditional food during festivals.......it makes you feel so happy n contented........


these guzias are exactly the way my mom used to make.......a crispy crust and a crumbly mildly sweet stuffing........it is very addicting.......you can't stop at one if you have a sweet tooth.........they are calorie bombs though.....:D:D

my mom used to make us all sit and do the rolling, filling, sealing work in the day time........all the stuffed guzias were kept covered by a moist cloth and in the evening........she used to fry all of them.........so it was a full day of making them.........( in huge amounts of course)........now i keep frying them at very low flame n at the same time keep rolling n stuffing them on th platform itself........erlier we used to sit on the floor to do all this.............frying on very low flame results in better taste n texture........and by the time one batch of guzia is fried , the next batch is ready after all the artistry done over them.......i do the sealing n making pattern by hands........somehow i feel that when we use the mould to make guzias , they loose thier charm.........hand moulded one have a better look n feel..............anyway, see the recipe........i make the filling in the morning n do all the filling n frying in the evening........

ingredients

khoya or reduced milk 500 gm
sugar powdered 300 gm
poppy seeds 1/2 cup
suji or cream of wheat 1/2 cup
almonds chopped 1/2 cup
cashew chopped 1/2 cup
raisins chopped 1/2 cup

procedure to make the filling

roast the khoya in a pan till dry and deep pink in color.......meanwhile roast the suji in microwave for 2 minutes, turning twice in between.......then throw in the suji into the pan along with all the ingredients except sugar ang cook, stirring continously till a nice aroma comes out n the mixture is dry , crumbly and deep pink in color........take off the flame and mix well with sugar and rest till completely cool to proceed....this is how the finished filling looks like...

ingredients for the shell

maida or all purpose flour about 800 gm
ghee or clarified butter about 200 gm
water to knead the dough
sunflower or peanut oil or ghee to fry

procedure

rub in the ghee into the flour till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs........the flour n ghee ratio may vary cuz i do it by instinct n never measure them.......now make a stiff dough using water n let the dough rest for 15 minutes before proceeding.....
take a marble sized portion of the dough and roll a thin roudel .......place a spoonful of the filling into it , fold it like a book , and seal the edges by applying pressure ( flour n water solution can be used to seal if doing it for the first time ).....it has to be sealed properly as if it opens while frying..............it will mess up everything........
after sealing you can make a design as that of mine , like a braid or extra edges can be cut off using a serrated cutter.......make sure that the filling is properly secured........repeat the process to make more guzias......................

tip : if you prick each guzia with a pin 2-3 times, it will not split during frying.

now slip them into hot oil.........10- 12 at a time, and fry at lowest possible flame, turning them while frying , may be once,.........it takes aroud 20 minutes for a batch of 10 guzias to cook.......time may vary but you can understand when they become pink n crisp.........

let them cool n keep in airtight containers.............keeps well for a fortnight......in Indian temperatures....

yummm.........enjoy........