Moong Dal Ghughra Recipe (Gujiya/ Karanji) ===================== The Moong Dal Ghughra also known as Karanji or Gujiya in some parts of India are delicious flaky crust pastries filled with sweet, sour and spicy lentil mixture. Most often these Ghughra’s are made when there are festivities at home or a special occasion in the family. Although these Ghughras are half moon shaped, you could also alternatively shape these into round filled balls. Traditionally, the Ghughras are deep fried, but I prefer to bake them as this preserves nutrition and is less toxic. You could choose to fry them to suit your taste. NOTE: You can also deep fry the Ghughras in oil or ghee if you dont want to bake them. And if you bake them, please do understand that it takes time to develop a taste for the baked Ghughra if you are used to the fried Ghughra. Makes: Makes 20 Ghughras approx Ingredients for Moong Dal Ghughra Recipe Ingredients for the outer crust 2 cups of all-purpose flour 1/2 cup chilled butter (if deep frying, then use ghee - normal temperature) 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons of water Ingredients for the filling 2 cups yellow split moong 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely pounded 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely pounded 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon dry mango powder 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder 2 green chillies, finely chopped an inch piece of ginger, grated salt to taste Method for Moong Dal Ghughra Recipe To begin making the Moong Dal Ghughra (Karanji/ Gujiya) recipe we will first prepare the filling. Soak the lentils in 2 cups of water for an hour. Once soaked, drain any excess water and keep aside. Using a steamer, stem the lentils until cooked to tender. Remove from the steamer and allow the lentil mixture to cool. Heat oil in a non stick pan on medium heat; add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds, asafoetida and allow them to crackle. Stir in the cooled lentils and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined. Allow the lentil mixture to cool and divide into 20 portions and keep aside. In our next step we will make the dough for the pastry crust if the Ghughra. Combine the flour, butter and salt, in a large bowl. Work the butter into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle water onto the crumbly dough and with your hands push the dough from the sides to the middle of the bowl to form a ball that holds together. Be careful to add only little water at a time, and not allowing the dough to become soggy. Knead well with your hands until the dough becomes into a firm ball of dough. Cover the dough with cling wrap and refrigerate the dough for an hour. After an hour of resting in the refrigerator, divide the dough into 20 portions. Or you can roll the dough into a large circle and use a round cookie cutter to make 3 inch diameter circles. Keep a small bowl filled with water by the side. On a floured surface roll each portion of the dough into a 3 inch diameter circle or cut circles using the cookie cutter. Place a teaspoon full of filling mixture onto one half of the circle. Wet your fingers into the bowl of water and spread a little water around the edges of the circle. Gently fold the circle into a semi circle, forming a half moon shape. Seal the edges by pressing slightly, so that the dough sticks to each other making sure all the filling is concealed inside. Decorate the edges by twisting the dough portion carefully to form a twisted shape. Continue the same procedure with the remaining dough and filling portions. You can also use a calzone maker to make these ghughra’s and they are so much more faster and easier and you will have a perfectly filled ghughra. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Place these Moong Dal Ghughras on a greased baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake until golden brown, for about 20-30 minutes flipping over in between to brown the other side. Turn over gently to check if the other side is golden as well, if not bake for little more time until it turns golden. Serve the Moong Dal Ghughras either hot or cold along with Green Chutney and Chai for Tea Time Snacks or even for festivals like Diwali or a special occasion.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 13:08:20 +0000
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