Gujia

By: Manjula Jain

Serving : 12 people
Hover over serving size and use the slider that appears to adjust serving size
Prep Time :15 minutes
Cook Time :50 minutes
Total Time :1 hour 5 minutes

Rate this recipe:

5 from 2 votes

Gujia, Ghugra, Karangi

Gujia is a fried pastry filled with an aromatic nuts mixture. In India, Gujia is traditionally made for the holidays like Diwali and Holi and is a must have treat.

Gujia

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour plain flour or maida
  • 1 tbsp sooji semolina flour
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/3 cup lukewarm water use as needed

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 1 cup milk powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut powder
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp melon seeds (optional)

Garnish:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sliced almonds and pistachios

To Make Paste

  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Crust:

  • Mix flour, sooji, and oil in a bowl, make a soft dough adding water slowley as needed. Knead the dough until the dough becomes soft and pliable.
  • Set the dough aside and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough sit for at least ten minutes.

Filling:

  • Mix the cream and milk powder in a frying pan. Cook on medium heat until mixture starts leaving the sides of the frying pan and becomes soft runny dough. Stir continuously so the mixture does not burn on the bottom of the pan.
  • Turn off the heat and add coconut, almonds, melon seeds, sugar, and cardamom powder. Mix together well. After cooling, the mixture will be lightly moist. Keep aside.

Making the Gujias:

  • Mix 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of flour to make a paste. Set aside.
  • Knead the dough again for a minute. Divide the dough into about 20 equal parts and roll into balls with the palms of your hands.
  • Roll each ball into about 4-inch diameter (like a roti or chappati).
  • Dip your finger in the flour paste and spread it around the rim of the rolled dough, but just on the half the circle.
  • Take the rolled dough in your palm and put about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the filling mixture in the center and fold it into a semi-circle. Now press the edges together with your fingers. Make sure the edges are completely sealed otherwise they will open while frying and oil will get in and filling will come out. Continue filling the rest of the gujia in the same manner.
  • Heat about 1 inches of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. It should sizzle right away but come to the surface slowly.
  • Place the gujia in the frying pan few at a time.
  • After gujhias are floating on top of the oil, turn them slowly. Fry the gujias until they turn light golden-brown color on all sides. Don't fry on high heat; the gujia crust will be too soft and not crispy.
  • When they are done cooking, lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon.

Garnishing:

  • Boil the sugar and water on medium heat until syrup is about one thread or 230 degrees (Fahrenheit) on a candy thermometer.
  • Dip the gujias into the syrup making sure they are coated with syrup all around. Place the gujias on a wire rack to allow the extra syrup drain.
  • Garnish the gujias with sliced almonds and pistachios while the gujhias are still moist with syrup.
  • Gujias will be dry in an hour.

Notes

Gujia can be stored in airtight container up to a month.
Gujia makes great gift idea for Holidays you may also like Besan Ladoo, Spicy Cashew, Baklava, Besan Mathri 
Gujia

Gujia, Ghugra, Karangi

Gujia is a fried pastry filled with an aromatic nuts mixture. In India, Gujia is traditionally made for the holidays like Diwali and Holi and is a must have treat.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Servings 12 people

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour plain flour or maida
  • 1 tbsp sooji semolina flour
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/3 cup lukewarm water use as needed

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 1 cup milk powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut powder
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp melon seeds (optional)

Garnish:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sliced almonds and pistachios

To Make Paste

  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions
 

Crust:

  • Mix flour, sooji, and oil in a bowl, make a soft dough adding water slowley as needed. Knead the dough until the dough becomes soft and pliable.
  • Set the dough aside and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough sit for at least ten minutes.

Filling:

  • Mix the cream and milk powder in a frying pan. Cook on medium heat until mixture starts leaving the sides of the frying pan and becomes soft runny dough. Stir continuously so the mixture does not burn on the bottom of the pan.
  • Turn off the heat and add coconut, almonds, melon seeds, sugar, and cardamom powder. Mix together well. After cooling, the mixture will be lightly moist. Keep aside.

Making the Gujias:

  • Mix 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of flour to make a paste. Set aside.
  • Knead the dough again for a minute. Divide the dough into about 20 equal parts and roll into balls with the palms of your hands.
  • Roll each ball into about 4-inch diameter (like a roti or chappati).
  • Dip your finger in the flour paste and spread it around the rim of the rolled dough, but just on the half the circle.
  • Take the rolled dough in your palm and put about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the filling mixture in the center and fold it into a semi-circle. Now press the edges together with your fingers. Make sure the edges are completely sealed otherwise they will open while frying and oil will get in and filling will come out. Continue filling the rest of the gujia in the same manner.
  • Heat about 1 inches of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. It should sizzle right away but come to the surface slowly.
  • Place the gujia in the frying pan few at a time.
  • After gujhias are floating on top of the oil, turn them slowly. Fry the gujias until they turn light golden-brown color on all sides. Don't fry on high heat; the gujia crust will be too soft and not crispy.
  • When they are done cooking, lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon.

Garnishing:

  • Boil the sugar and water on medium heat until syrup is about one thread or 230 degrees (Fahrenheit) on a candy thermometer.
  • Dip the gujias into the syrup making sure they are coated with syrup all around. Place the gujias on a wire rack to allow the extra syrup drain.
  • Garnish the gujias with sliced almonds and pistachios while the gujhias are still moist with syrup.
  • Gujias will be dry in an hour.

Notes

Gujia can be stored in airtight container up to a month.
Gujia makes great gift idea for Holidays you may also like Besan Ladoo, Spicy Cashew, Baklava, Besan Mathri 
Keyword Ghugra, Holiday Dessert, Holiday Gift, Karangi, Special Occasion
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Comments

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    MARIE
    February 28, 2018 at 8:24 am

    Hi Manjula,

    Do you think I can bake these instead of frying? If so, at what temperature and for how long? Also, I do not want to use the sugar glaze, how much more sugar I need to add?

    Thank you
    Marie

    Harshita Verma
    October 23, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    RECIPE IS GOOD

    Kristy
    August 30, 2017 at 4:55 pm

    Enormously enjoyed this article :), keep up the great
    writing and I’ll keep coming back for more. Will be sharing this
    with my twitter followers and I’msure they’ll enjoy it as well!

      Manjula Jain
      September 3, 2017 at 12:52 am

      Kristy, thank you

    Annie Aulakh
    October 28, 2016 at 6:47 am

    Thanku soo much Manjula Auntyji that is my most waited recipe thanks for sharing love ❤️ you stay blessed ????????

    Jia
    July 24, 2014 at 7:20 am

    Hello anty, this gujia recipe is very good i want to ask can i freeze them un fried ?.

      Manjula Jain
      July 24, 2014 at 1:42 pm

      Jia,
      after frying they stay good for about 10 days good at room temperature or refrigerate for about 2 months.

    Maria
    July 16, 2014 at 3:42 am

    Hi Aunty

    I made gujia today. It came out very well. Thanks a lot.

    Maria

    bharathi
    September 3, 2013 at 9:02 am

    Very tasty and yummy dessert

    Muskaan
    November 10, 2012 at 6:41 am

    Hello Manjulaji, i made khoya but its bit sticky then i added sugar .But its still sticky can u tell me now what should i do with that khoya??Please reply soon..

    Thanks
    Muskaan

    Bersah
    March 29, 2012 at 11:48 am

    Hi,
    I was wondering what do you do after making so many delicious things. Do you invite friends over or just you and your family eat them?
    I have some more questions-
    Who does the videography?
    Who does the cleaning up after you cook?
    What made you start this site?

    I hope you don’t mind my inquisitiveness!

    rashmi
    March 7, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    i made this gujiya today… came out good …just one drawback tat they were little hard… please tell me what went wrong so tat i would make it better next time

    abha
    March 7, 2012 at 3:46 am

    hello aunty! wanted to know how much time it takes the filling to cool off to such a dry level as u have in your video… mine stays in a running dough form …

      Manjula Jain
      March 7, 2012 at 5:56 pm

      Hi Abha, you need to bring the filing to room temperature. If it is still soft, that means you need to let it cook more.

    yashu
    December 28, 2011 at 10:19 pm

    i love u r manjulas kitchen blog aunty thank u for u reciepies

    sowmya
    December 16, 2011 at 4:16 pm

    excellent sweet for all occasions

    Das Chan
    October 29, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    Hi Aunty, from Malaysia. Thank you so very much for this recipe. It was a hit at our Kartik festival here. I did not have dessicated coconut, instead used fresh grated coconut, lightly toasted. Was a little apprehensive about the milk powder, because most brands available here are mixed with palm oil and soya lecithin and “stabilizers”, but it worked out well. For the pastry, instead of oil, I substituted ghee, quantity slightly less (because the ghee was not melted), and then fried the gujiya in ghee. Added half a teaspoon of almond flavor to the syrup. Other than that, kept to your basic recipe and technique – and the video most helpful – besides it puts your very personal stamp on it! Made me smile and think of you when I was making the gujiya. Hare Krishna!

    rati
    October 19, 2011 at 6:19 am

    how much of khoa should i use instead of milk powder and cream? can we use milk powder and milk?

      Manjula Jain
      October 19, 2011 at 12:28 pm

      Rati,
      About 1/4 cup of khoa.

    carmen
    September 24, 2011 at 10:46 am

    I must to try. I stay with english dictionari to find the ingredients, I hope to maket soo as posibil to find the ingredients .

    J Ali
    August 20, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    Hi Aunty,

    I have made these gujias a few times and they have always turned out great! Everyone is always asking me where I learnt to make these.
    They are absolutely delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!

    akilasuri
    May 18, 2011 at 6:33 am

    Madam you are so cool with a neat defined way of showing your recipies.good luck.

    anu
    March 20, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    Hello Auntie
    Its always been a pleasure being on your website and seeing you cook.. The dishes that u provide are lovely.. and more beautiful than that is the love and affection u put in them.. i love to watch your hands while u cook..!! u r so precise and yet so gentle with your dishes!! -anu

    mani
    November 6, 2010 at 5:58 pm

    Namaste Aunty..
    I made gujias on this diwali..but it doesn’t come out well…become soft..i fried it on low flame..but used normal water and i think oil was also less for the dough…is these can be reason for soft gujias…plz suggest me…Thanks

    Aruna
    November 4, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Happy Diwali. Auntyji thank you for your website. I had invited friends for Diwali but got stuck thinking what to cook. And while I was googling found your site and you saved my day. I tried your besan ladoo and gujia and came out very good. Once again thank you.

    Swasti
    October 30, 2010 at 12:53 am

    Hi Aunty

    Can i use fine semolina flour or do i need coarse semolina flour for this recipe
    Thanks

      Manjula Jain
      October 30, 2010 at 9:58 am

      Swasti,
      Use fine semolina flour

    Anuradha Sharma Magee
    October 19, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Dear Ms. Jain,

    Thanks so much for providing a very good website to teach younger Indians the art of Indian cooking!
    I love Gujia, it was always one of my favorite desserts as a child. I have to practice your recipe a bit more, but the first time it came out pretty good, and I substituted the maida flour, with healthier white whole wheat flour. It works, but it takes a little getting used to. Just thought I could try to make the recipe with a healthier grain, as so much of our traditional food is fried.
    Thanks again!

    Mahi
    October 15, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    Hello Aunty,

    Thanks for the recipe. I had a question, if I do not want to do the garnish with sugar syrup, will I have to adjust the sweetness in the filling?
    Thanks,

      Manjula Jain
      October 15, 2010 at 1:21 pm

      Mahi, Add extra sugar with the filling.

    F
    September 20, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    I think I’m going to crimp the edges to make a pretty pattern!

    Angel
    July 30, 2010 at 9:19 am

    Hi Ms Manjula,

    I have made your peda recipe using khoya method you showed in that video. It turned out great. However this recipe my “khoya”: milk-powder and heavy whipping cream never reached the “runny” consistency. I am so bummed. I kep cooking the mix thinking it will eventually reach that consistency, now after 12 minutes it just getting dryer by the second and also does not look pale yellow any more. What could be wrong? The consistency you showed is so obvious that there is no way I missed it in my pan. What do I do now? Please help!!!!

    priya
    March 10, 2010 at 10:35 am

    hi mam,
    i just wanted to know whether we can use the milk powder tht we use for kids i.e;formula powder….

      Jaya
      March 10, 2010 at 7:56 pm

      Baby formula will taste very different AND don’t forget that baby formula (powder or liquid) is nutritionally formulated for infants and toddlers, not adults. It is not a cooking substitute.

    Sreeranjani
    March 1, 2010 at 10:35 pm

    You are the BEST Manjula Aunty !!!
    Thank you so much for your recipes…

    Noopur srivastava
    February 27, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    Thanks Manjula,
    I have done my ghujiya very tasty using milk powder

    Tanvi
    February 26, 2010 at 5:00 pm

    I used mlk instead of water to knead the dough for the crust.
    Gujias turned out extra tasty.

    CS
    February 21, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    Can you please tell which milk powder do you use ? All I could find is “Gret value” Instant dry milk? Is that it ? Thanks.

      Manjula Jain
      February 21, 2010 at 7:13 pm

      Hi CS,
      You can buy the dry milk powder in any grocery store in the same section where they keep baking products.

      Jaya
      February 21, 2010 at 8:19 pm

      Milk powder is the same as dry milk. It’s simply milk that has been dehydrated.

    CS
    February 21, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    Milk powder is a big mystery to me… I made gulab jamun the way you showed, it turned out to be a disaster. I soeaciially bought the milk poweder and all.. frist time I tried , it melted in the oil.
    I tried again with less butter and they turned out to be hard rock balls…

    Any ideas what are we doing wrong.. Hope you are showng all the steps and listing all the tips to make them. Thanks

      Jaya
      February 21, 2010 at 8:20 pm

      CS, Indian sweets are NOT easy to make despite how simple they seem. Don’t get discouraged. Jaya

    alkadixit
    February 20, 2010 at 10:49 pm

    how to slice almonds thin?do you use a special tool?

      Annette Laing
      February 21, 2010 at 5:49 am

      You buy them ready-sliced in the supermarket (baking section, usually) or at an Indian grocery. I wouldn’t try to slice them myself, because that’s a recipe for a trip to the emergency room. 🙂

    sharmila
    October 28, 2009 at 5:54 am

    hi aunty can we replace cream with milk

    GS
    October 15, 2009 at 11:09 am

    Hi Madam,

    I try to make gujias, for the filing i tried as per your instruction only but you shown in your video when you stirring cream with milk powder it starts leaving the sides of the frying pan. But when i tried to do it, its not coming like that. after few minutes it made solid.

    Plz tell me clearly how to make.

    Gs

    madhuri
    September 5, 2009 at 9:23 am

    hello di,
    thanx for posting such gr8 recepies…it always works out good….u used milk while making filling but in the ingredients it is written as creame….plzzzz let me knw wat to use…..di plz tell me the substitute of khoya….plzzzzzzzz

      Manjula Jain
      September 5, 2009 at 1:44 pm

      Hello Madhuri,
      Sorry milk or cream eather will work or use the peda for khoya.

    swati
    March 31, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Hi Aunty

    after seeing ur vedio . i had also tried to make khoya with cream n milk powder. but it was not in good shape

    pls let me know which brand of milk powder n cream u r useing n where i can find that. i live in chicago

    Aishwarya
    March 29, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    Hello Aunty…
    I love your website… i learnt soo many things ……….. Aunty , ystrday i tried ur Bengali Rasgulla recipe….. i did the excatly the same way… aftr taking out the cooker …i kept them in refrigerator to cool .. and aftr 30 mins when they came out they were hard……….can u help me aunty……. i am reallly confused here……

    Thanks..

      Manjula Jain
      March 29, 2009 at 10:17 pm

      Hello Aishwarya,
      Next time knead the paneer more.

        Aishwarya
        March 30, 2009 at 7:28 am

        Aunty

        kneading paneer for how long … ? do u have any idea ??

          Jaya
          March 30, 2009 at 10:25 am

          Knead it for several minutes pressing down with the heel of your hand and smearing the paneer onto the (clean) countertop. Scoop it back together, and repeat until all of the graininess is gone from the paneer and it feels almost silky. At first it’s hard to do because the paneer is crumbly, but you have to keep doing it until it’s not crumbly and starts holding togethter pretty well. If the paneer seems too dry, add back a tsp of water to moisten it.

          Hope this helps. Jaya.

            Aishwarya
            March 30, 2009 at 11:27 am

            thanks Jaya.. i will try to make it again.. nad let u know..

            shilpa
            December 11, 2009 at 1:15 pm

            hey Jaya,
            do u have a food processor or chopper..after making paneer try to remove as much water as u can ..then run the paneer in FP or chopper..within few minutes..it will form a dough ball..perfect for u.but remember remove as much water as u can..because if there is water in paneer..it will be messed up.

            Shilpa

    AnRash
    March 29, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    Hello Manjulaji,

    Thank you very very much ))

    Lekha
    March 11, 2009 at 9:39 pm

    Hi Manjula Aunty,

    Your recepies are really great and i have tried a lot of recepies from your cooking shows online. Keep posting us lots of recepies!

    -Lekha

    Bindu
    March 11, 2009 at 3:52 pm

    Manjula Aunty,

    I wanna try and make this gujiya today. If I use fresh khoya instead of cream and milk powder, how much should i use for 20-24 gujjiyas? Pls advise. Thankyou. You are doing an awesome job. A blessing for experimenting people like me who has gotten bored of cooking same old roti-sabzi-dal for so long:-) I have tried 5-6 recipes from you site already. needless to say, all came excellent. Thanks to your simple nd easy to follow recipes and great videos. My 6 year old son loves watching your videos! he wants to be a chef he says!!!

      Manjula Jain
      March 11, 2009 at 6:22 pm

      Hello Bindu,
      About 3/4 cup khoya will be ok.

    sarika
    March 9, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    Hi Manjulaji,
    which milk powder did u use and where can i find it.
    can u please tell me how can i make khoya at home.
    Thanks

    R M
    March 6, 2009 at 3:56 am

    Amazing recipe. Im from South India. The inner contents tasted like the peda.
    I couldnt get the shape right. But the contents manages to stay inside without breaking the crust.
    Truly amazing.
    Thanks Manjula.

    lakshmi
    February 24, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    HI Manjula garu
    gujias look great. I like to try there.

    Which milk powder did you used for gujias. can you suggest me the store.

    Thanks

    Sudha
    January 14, 2009 at 8:22 pm

    Hello Manjulaji,

    I experimented a little and added roasted poppy seeds and roasted fresh coconut to the filling mixture. Gujia’s taste absolutely wonderful.
    -Sudha

    Sudha
    January 6, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    hello Majulaji,

    I tried this recipe and it came out just perfect…very tasty ! Made them for my sisters family and they absolutely loved it..all credit goes to you..thank you !

    -Sudha

    pragatii
    December 23, 2008 at 5:00 pm

    Hello aunty,
    thanks for replying…will try kachouri again.
    pragati

    Sofi
    December 23, 2008 at 8:49 am

    hello dear..

    can Gujja stay if i used mava?
    also i made some laddos of d remaining filling…
    thx so much 4 ur reply

    Manjula Jain
    December 22, 2008 at 10:49 am

    Gujia will stay good for 2 weeks or more if they are kept in close container.

    Sofi
    December 22, 2008 at 9:49 am

    hello
    thx 4 ur all yummmmilicious recipes….
    i prepared Gujja using mawa yesterday. How long can it stay on shelf? i’m in chicago

    thx

    Manjula Jain
    December 21, 2008 at 10:39 pm

    Hi Pragati,
    Kachori needs to be fried on very low heat otherwise they will become soft. I know it is hard but have patient while frying.

    Pragati
    December 20, 2008 at 3:50 pm

    hello aunty..
    i have tried Gujia according to your method it turned out really nice.i tried your kachori dough also but i dont know why shell became soft after sometime.
    thanks for giving such nice recipes.
    pragati

    Pragati
    December 20, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    Hello Aunty, I like your cooking tips very much.

    Pragati.

    sandee singh
    November 15, 2008 at 9:34 am

    aunti ji you r great cook.

    Manjula Jain
    October 23, 2008 at 11:02 am

    Hello Poonan,
    Every grocery store keep the heavy cream in the same section where they havr milk.

    Poonam
    October 23, 2008 at 10:34 am

    hi manjulaji,
    Your all recipes are very good.I tried many of them and all were so delicious.I made rasgulla’s, nan-khatai, Besan-ladoo etc etc.This diwali i am thinking of making gujia’s.Can you please tell me from which store i can get heavy whipping cream?

    Glen Medellin
    October 22, 2008 at 7:52 pm

    Manjula,

    Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I have tried a few of them with delicious results. I was wondering why semolina flour is added to the dough. Looking forward to trying this one!

    XOXO
    Glen

    Jaya
    October 20, 2008 at 11:27 am

    Hi Archana,
    The filling will come out if you don’t pinch the whole length of the edges together. You can’t leave any of it opened. Another cause could be if you overfilled the gujia.

    Did the filling spill out where you joined the edges or did it burst the the middle of the dough?

    Jaya

    Archana
    October 20, 2008 at 11:07 am

    hi Manjula g

    This recipe is awesome. i did try 2day, makes gud gujia, but problem is
    my filling was coming out . Don’t know, how did do? Can u give me any suggetion pls?
    thx

    C

    kavita
    October 14, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    Wow, Aunty thanks for the recipe. I will try this next week for Diwali sweets.

    Jaya
    October 14, 2008 at 9:58 am

    The milk powder for this recipe should taste good. The problem with Gits is they have other ingredients that affect the taste (not in a good way in my opinion). Don’t compare this recipe with Gits. This is much better.

    Mahek
    October 14, 2008 at 12:56 am

    Hi Manjula Aunty,

    This recipe seems to be really simple for those who are living in abroad and cant find Khoya 🙂 but I am just wondering whether the milk powder used here will give the same taste coz it has its own tase which u can find in Gitz guulab jamun as well

    rubal
    October 13, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    thanks for this recipe . waiting for this kind of royal recipe for a long time . so sweet

    jas
    October 13, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    hi manjula,
    just love ur cooking easy to make sweet great taste .hey diwali is around the corner so can u give us balushashi recipe plz and many many thanks for this gujjia recipe so sweet.

    Sally Tan
    October 13, 2008 at 8:47 am

    Dear Manjula,

    I love this website of yours and love you and love your recipes. I really appreciate the traditional methods that you use and the authentic recipes posted here.
    Can’t wait for your next recipe!

    Love,

    Sally