Gujiya Recipe | Mawa Gujiya Recipe

Gujiya or Mava Gujiya is a festive sweet that is crispy outside and bursting inside with rich mava filling. These crescent-shaped sweets are popular during Holi and Diwali, giving a different flavor with khoya, sugar, and nuts. They are deep-fried until golden or until the gujiya puffs up and is crisp. This rich and flavor some sweet lights up the festive mood and is perfect for gifting and sharing with close ones during the festival.

Gujiya is very similar to Karanji (a Maharashtra sweet) and Somas (a South Indian sweet), but it stands out with its mava filling. It is simple, unique, and indulgent in nature. This crescent-shaped sweet elevates the festive platter, giving emotional space to the tradition. It is witnessed that women of the family gather together, rolling and binding the dough and filling it with khoya and shaping it beautifully. The process is more than cooking. It serves festive bonding and community celebrations.

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About Gujiya

Gujiya is a traditional Indian sweet, popular during festivals like Holi and Diwali. It is shaped like a half-moon, with a crispy shell outside that is made of ghee and flour. The inside of the shell is filled with a rich mixture of mava (Khoya), sugar, nuts, and a few other optional ingredients, making it a sweet, nutty, and aromatic delicacy for the festival.

Gujiya reminds me of the festival back in our childhood, where my mother and every other aunty I know in the neighbour hood gather in my kitchen, and my grandmother sits high on the chair, watching every move. Her gentle teaching about the dough, those little tips about rolling and sealing the dough, so they don’t open up while frying. The whole neighbour hood would smell of ghee and cardamom, and we kids had the chance to try out the first batch of gujiya coming out of the piping hot oil.

Today, when I made Gujiyas in my own kitchen, it felt like carrying the tradition forward, with those titbits of information I had stored in my brain even before, something that inherited by heart and no cookbook could give me that experience.

Gujiya Ingredients

• Maida – It is a processed flour, typically replaced with wheat flour for a crispy and flaky outer shell.
• Ghee – It helps in binding the flour and adds flavours to the gujiyas
• Khoya – it adds a rich and creamy texture to the filling.
• Icing sugar – Sugar is added to sweeten the filling. Add after the mixture is completely cooled.
• Desiccated coconut – this is optional, but gives a nice nutty texture to the filling.
• Chopped nuts – They are optional, but you can slightly roast them before adding them to the mixture. It gives a fine crunch and rich flavour to gujiyas.

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How to make Gujiya Step by Step

1.Sieve maida and salt first. Then transfer to a mixing bowl, add ghee and mix it well with your hands.

2.Add water little by little, knead to get a soft pliable dough. Let it to rest for atleast 15 minutes. Keep covered and Set aside.

3.Meanwhile we can make the stuffing ready.Take khoya in a pan and keep cooking till it gathers to a mass.

4.Transfer to a bowl and let it to cool completely, then add powdered sugar,cardamom powder and chopped nuts.Give a quick mix.

5.Take a big ball bigger than lemon size. Roll it to a thin circle. Now using a lid cut into small thin circles. Take a circle, grease with water on the edges. Spoon a teaspoon of the sweet stuffing.

6.Pull the other side and close it , such that it looks like a semi circle. You can either make swirls with your hands or just press and seal it.

7.Press the greased area well and seal it. Now dip the cutter in the flour and trim it. Make sure you trim leaving some area which is sealed while you cut so that it doesn’t open up while frying. Now repeat the process for the remaining dough. Collect the scrapes and start rolling again. Keep the prepared gujiyas covered till you fry. Heat oil-once oil is hot enough, you can check by pinching a small portion of dough and dropping it into oil, if it rises immediately then your oil is ready.

8.Now drop few at a time, may be 2 or 3 at a time and fry till golden. It puffs up well.

Cool down and store in airtight container.

Expert Tips

• Roast the Mava – Always roast mawa on a low flame until it turns grainy; this enhances flavour and prevents it from turning chewy.
• Don’t overstuff – By overfilling, the gujiya may open while frying.
• Seal the Edges well – Seal the edges well and press with a fork for extra sealing.
• Fry On Medium to Low Flame – Avoid frying them on high flame as it will quickly brown and stay raw inside.
• Add Sugar after cooling – Let the mixture cool completely before adding sugar. By adding it to the hot mixture, sugar may release its moisture and make it sticky.

Serving and Storage

Serve warm or at room temperature with a hot cup of tea. It goes best with a festive platter with other sweets and savouries.

Store the gujiya in an airtight container at room temperature. Shelf life is 4-5 days. Refrigerating the gujiyas are not applicable as it might turn the crispy layer into a chewy layer. You can also sundry them for a longer shelf life.

FAQS

1.Why did my gujiya open while frying?

This kind of scenario happens when the edges are correctly sealed or the gujiyas are overstuffed. Apply water or milk at the edges while sealing and press firmly.

2.Can I bake gujiya instead of frying?

Yes, you can, and it is a healthy option too. Brush them with ghee and bake them at 180°C for 20–25 minutes or until golden. However, the texture will be slightly different but delicious in its own way.

3.How do I prevent gujiya from turning soggy?

It is advisable to fry the gujiyas on a medium to low flame. Ensure the filling is completely cooled off before use. Adding sugar to the hot mava will release moisture, and the gujiyas will turn soggy.

4.Can I make gujiya without mawa?

Absolutely. You can. Try replacing the mava with roasted rava and dry fruits for a lighter version, but nothing can beat the flavourful mava gujiyas.

5.How long can I store gujiya?

Plain gujiya keeps well in an airtight container for 4–5 days.

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