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Diwali is almost here and this also means it is time for the delicious savouries and snacks that we usually make either for family or for the guests. One of the crowd favourite among these snacks is Karanji.

Also known as Gujiya, these crunchy flour dumplings are stuffed with delicious semolina and dry-fruit stuffing. Some also add khoya to the mix. While these savouries are easy to munch on, making them can be quite a task. However, with these kitchen secrets, you can make a perfect batch of karanji or gujiyas every-time.

Incorporate the ghee into the maida first, then add water.

The crucial element of making karanji is the crunchy outer layer. For this, the dough needs to be hard and not very moist. If the dough is not kneaded properly, it’ll not help us achieve the desirable crunch. To achieve that, incorporate the ghee into the maida first, then add water. Once the maida and ghee are perfectly mixed, then gradually add water. The trick here to use minimal quantity of water. Too much water in the dough will result in a bubbles on the outer layer when fried, while making it really hard. We want a crunchy yet soft-to-crumble outer layer, which can be consumed by everyone easily.

Cover the dough with a wet cloth and rest for atleast 35-40 minutes

While we intend our dough to be a tad bit hard, we don’t want it to dry out completely. Covering it with a wet cloth will help us achieve that. Rest the dough in a wet cloth for 35-40 minutes for the dough’s gluten to work its magic and result in an elastic dough that will be easy to turn into delicious karanjis.

What if you don’t have karanji cutters?

Sure, it is easy to make karanjis using the cutting tools, however, if you don’t have one, you don’t really need to go any buy one. Firstly, once you’ve rolled the dough flat, use a steel bowl as a cutter to cut an exact circle on the flattened dough. Then add a little bit of the stuffing in the centre of the circle and seal it by rubbing water on the edges. Later use a fork to seal the sides while giving it a cool design like the karanji cutter.

Rest the karanji for 5-10 minutes before frying

Once your karanjis are all set and ready to be fried, let them rest for 5-10 minutes under a wet cloth. This will let the dough and stuffing adjust and the wet cloth will prevent the karanji from getting dry.

Fry on low-high heat

While frying the karanjis, make sure the temperature of the oil is medium-low. This is because we want the outer layer as well as the inner stuffing to cook evenly. If you fry it on high heat it’ll start darkening the outer layer without really cooking the insides. Medium-low heat will result in even cooking and give us the desirable crunch. Also fry the karanjis in batches to keep the oil temperature stable.

If you wish to make delicious karanjis or gujiyas at home, you could check out the recipe by clicking here.