Kajjikayalu/ Karanji/ Sweet somas/ Gujiya is a delicious deep fried stuffed sweet dumpling prepared during Sankranti/ Holi/ Diwali.

Kajjikayalu/ Gujiya with crispy outer and soft interior. The filling with coconut in every bite and crunchiness from cashew and raisins tastes delicious. Kajjikayalu/ Gujiya can be prepared with different types of stuffing like sooji/ rava, fried gram dal, khoya, dry fruits and much more.

My mom makes this Karanji recipe with sooji and coconut stuffing. My MIL prepares karanji / gijiya with fried gram dal and coconut. For today’s post I followed the second recipe for no reason. Since my blog is to help the beginners I sealed the dough pockets with my fingers first then sealed with the fork to re tighten and to design as well. If you are frequent in pleating the edges, you could do that as well.

For the below gujiya recipe I used coconut powder/ desiccated coconut. It can be replaced with freshly grated coconut as well; in that case make sure to dry roast for 3 – 4 minutes which helps in longer shelf life.

One thing I like about gujiya/sweet somas is it can be stored in air tight container for up to 3 weeks if stored properly. So if you are beginner looking for simple yet yummy recipe for this Sankranti this recipe could be you choice! So let’s get to the making of Gujiya/ Kajjikayalu/ Kranji/Sweet somas!

Other recipe that might interest you: Thandai powder, Instant malpua, Apple jaleb i, Chocolate apple jalebi, Moong dal poli, Puran poli, Badam poli, Coconut poli, Nariyal ladoo, Malai ladoo, Kala jamun, Khoya gulab jamun

Kajjikayalu, Gujiya,Sweet somas, How to make Karanji

Recipe by Sandhya Riyaz

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Sweets u0026amp; DessertsCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Resting time

20 minutes

Total time

minutes

Kajjikayalu/ Karanji/ Sweet somas/ Gujiya is a delicious deep fried stuffed sweet dumpling prepared during Sankranti/ Holi/ Diwali. Kajjikayalu/ Gujiya with crispy outer and soft interior with coconut in every bite and crunchiness from cashew and raisins is a very easy and delicious recipe that can be prepared with different types of stuffing like sooji/ rava, fried gram dal, khoya, dry fruits and much more.

Ingredients

1 cup Maida
1 tsp Sooji/ Rava
2 tsp Ghee
Water – required amount to make dough
Oil – for frying
Ingredients For filling
1/2 cup Fried gram dal
1/4 cup Grated Coconut
1/3 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tbsp Cashews
1 tsp Raisins

Directions

In a bowl add maida, sooji/ rava and ghee. Mix well.
Now add water gradually to form a semi soft dough. (Not too soft nor tight) keep it aside and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile dry roast fried gram dal in a pan in medium flame until aromatic. Make sure not to make it brown. Allow it cool down. Transfer it to a blender and grind it into fine powder. Transfer the powder to a bowl.
In a blender add sugar and grind into fine powder and keep it aside.
Now in the same pan dry roast coconut in low flame until light golden color. Allow it to cool down and transfer it to a bowl. Allow it to cool down completely.
Now add the ground fried gram dal powder to the roasted coconut. Finally add powdered sugar, cardamom powder, cashews and raisins. Mix well using a spoon and keep it aside.
Now dust a clean surface and roll out the dough thin using a rolling pin.
Now using a round cutter or any cap cut the dough into round shapes.
Now take one round shaped dough, keep the filling in it. (I kept around 1 tsp heaped filling in each kajjikayalu/ sweet somas).
Dip your index finger in little water and line the sides of the round shaped dough. Now fold the dough and seal the edges tight by pressing it with your fingers.
Using a fork press the sides of the sealed dough to create fork imprint and also to re tighten the sealing. This step keeps the stuffing in place while frying.
You can skip the sealing with fork and pleat it like the above picture as well. (But the fork method is simple and more secure while frying according to me).
Now drop the stuffed kajjikayalu/ karanji gently in preheated oil. Fry them in medium flame by flipping them gently in frequent intervals for even coloring and cooking. When the kajjikayalu looks golden brown and crispy remove from oil and transfer it to a plate with paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve it! Store the remaining in air tight container after they have completely cooled down and they will remain good for upto 3 weeks if stored properly.

Notes

* 1 cup = 235 ml

HOW TO MAKE SWEET SOMAS WITH STEP BY STEP IMAGES

In a bowl add maida, sooji/ rava and ghee. Mix well.
Now add water gradually to form a semi soft dough. (Not too soft nor tight) keep it aside and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile dry roast fried gram dal in a pan in medium flame until aromatic. Make sure not to make it brown. Allow it cool down. Transfer it to a blender and grind it into fine powder. Transfer the powder to a bowl.
In a blender add sugar and grind into fine powder and keep it aside.
Now in the same pan dry roast coconut in low flame until light golden color. Allow it to cool down and transfer it to a bowl. Allow it to cool down completely.
Now add the ground fried gram dal powder to the cooled roasted coconut. Finally add powdered sugar, cardamom powder, cashews and raisins. Mix well using a spoon and keep it aside.
Now dust a clean surface and roll out the dough thin using a rolling pin.
Now using a round cutter or any cap cut the dough into round shapes.
Now take one round shaped dough, keep the filling in it. (I kept around 1 tsp heaped filling in each kajjikayalu/ sweet somas).
Dip your index finger in little water and line the sides of the round shaped dough. Now fold the dough and seal the edges tight by pressing it with your fingers.
Using a fork press the sides of the sealed dough to create fork imprint and also to re tighten the sealing. This step keeps the stuffing in place while frying.
You can skip the sealing with fork and pleat it like the above picture as well. (But the fork method is simple and more secure while frying according to me).
Now drop the stuffed kajjikayalu/ karanji gently in preheated oil. Fry them in medium flame by flipping them gently in frequent intervals for even coloring and cooking. When the kajjikayalu looks golden brown and crispy remove from oil and transfer it to a plate with paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve it! Store the remaining in air tight container after they have completely cooled down and they will remain good for upto 3 weeks if stored properly.