UGADI SPECIAL
Kajjikayalu
INGREDIENTS
500 gm maida (all-purpose flour) 4-5 tbsps ghee
Enough water to knead maida Salt to taste Oil for deep frying
FOR THE FILLING
¼ dry coconut (finely grated) 1 cup semolina (you can also use putnala pappu/ roasted chickpeas) 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp cardamom powder 3 tbsps cashewnuts (finely chopped)
METHOD Mix maida with salt, 2-3 tbsps ghee and enough water to make a pliable dough, not too soft. Divide dough and shape into small balls. Keep aside for half hour. Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp ghee and add the grated coconut and roast over medium flame for three to four minutes. Remove and keep aside. If using fresh coconut, roast the coconut till golden brown. Ensure that it’s well roasted.
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp ghee and add sooji and roast over medium flame till it turns light pink, approximately seven to eight minutes. Cool and set aside.
Powder the sugar and mix with the roasted sooji, grated coconut, cardamom powder and cashewnuts. The filling is ready. Keep aside.Roll each ball with a rolling pin into a thin puri.
Spread a tbsp of filling on one half of the rolled out dough. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the spread out dough, with water and fold over to the opposite end, enclosing the stuffing to form a semi-circle shaped kajjikaya. Press ends firmly so that the filling doesn’t come out during the deep fry- ing process and twist the edges around the kajjikaya.
Heat enough oil in a wide vessel to deep fry the stuffed kajjikayalu. Drop three to four kajjikayalu into the oil slowly and deep fry till golden brown, turning them carefully to the other side, so that it cooks on all sides.
Deep fry on medium heat and not piping hot oil. — Recipe courtesy Ganesh
Teli, Chef de Cuisine (Deep fried short crust pastry with jaggery and coconut)