Apple Thandai Gujiya and Homemade Khoya

This is going to be a short one.

Holi. And apples.

The twain meet in the belly of a soft, flaky gujiya. That Holi staple, beautifully pleated, golden brown with a hint of saffron. Signalling happy times, colours, stained skin for days and weigh gain, that we don;t care about.

Which is exactly what I made, when Washington Apples sent me a beautiful box of Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Red Delicious apples. It had been a long LONG week, starting last Monday with no weekend, a really strenuous time. But this gujiyas could not be put off, because I am going home for Holi!

Now be warned, this is not a calorie friendly recipe. I consciously made it deep-fried and in maida because the whole wheat and baked version did not scream Holi to me. It was too sanitised, too conscious. Holi is a time for absolute abandon of inhibitions. And the whole year is left to make good on our fitness and diet ambitions. Just for this day, let's let it go.

It is however, very very conscious when it comes to purity of the ingredients. Awesome apples, dry fruits. This is pure khoya or mava or evaporated milk, because I made it myself. And before you think it, no, it wasn't the long route of over the fire. It easier, made in a microwave. That recipe is up here too. You simply cannot trust the quality of the khoya you get at dairies.

So without further ado, here's the recipe for Apple Gujiya, and Homemade Khoya. You easily double or halve the recipe. There's also a variation where you dip it in 1 string sugar syrup, but I chose not to.

Apple Gujiya

Recipe adapted from Veg Recipes of India

Makes about 40

What you need:

• 4 cups of maida
• 2/3 cups of ghee
• 3/4 cup of water
• 2 cups of crumbled khoya if using ready made (see notes below for homemade recipe)
• Chopped nuts, about a cup
• 2 chopped apples
• Ginger powder, a couple of tsp
• Cinnamon Powder, a couple of tsp
• Bottled Thandai concentrate (optional)
• Sugar about 5 tbsp, depending on how sweet the apples are and how sweet you want the gujiya to be.
• Oil for deep frying.

The How:

• For the dough, if you're doing this free-hand, then rub the flour and ghee till it resembles crumbs. Or pulse the flour and ghee in the food processor.
• Slowly add the water, you may or may not need the full amount, and knead till the dough comes together. Knead it for a bit till it becomes smooth, then cover and keep till ready to use.
• Ina  heavy pan, toss together the apples and sugar for about 10-12 minutes on a low flame.
• Add the nuts, spice powders and mix, then add the khoya. After some time the khoya will begin to melt.
• Once it comes together, add the thandai concentrate if using, mix, switch off the flame and let it cool.
• Tear out medium sized balls of the dough. Roll out into a round that is not too thick or thin. This is because while you don't want your gujiya to be doughy, you also don't want the covering to burst or rip. Store them on a plate, covered.
• Now take one at a time, put a couple of spoonsful (or howmuchever you see fit) on one half of the circle, leaving a good border around it.
• Now wet the edges with a little water, and take the other half and close the gujiya. Seal the borders with your finger.
• If you can make a pleated pattern, go ahead. If you can't like me, pressing a fork to the edges will do just fine.
• Repeat for all, and keep on a plate, covered. Make sure they don't touch, they might and tear otherwise.
• Now heat oil, when the oil starts smoking then reduce the heat a bit, and fry each of the gujiyas one by one or two at a time if there's enough room in the kadhai till they're golden brown.
• Take out on a paper towel lined plate and repeat.

Notes:

• Always keep the dough covered, they tend to dry out quickly.
• There's tons of pleating techniques online, it would be awesome if you tried them out!
• Recipe for Khoya:
• You need one cup of cream and one cup of milk powder. Mix it well in a microwave safe bowl. Micro it for 1 minute at high power. Take it out and stir it. Repeat till the khoya stage is achieved. It might take 8, 9, 10 cycles. It will thicken once done, so best to leave it slightly soft. Remember to stir every single time, and do not put it for more than 1 minute to hasten the process.

That's it!

May your Holi be absolutely glorious, yummy and totally fun!