Happy Holi! The festival of colors is tomorrow but this year once again the Holi spirit is low because of COVID-19. It’s hard to imagine that a full year has passed since everyone has been under various stages of lockdown!
Hence to feel the Holi spirit, the only way left was for me to cook something special! I started by browsing on instagram all posts related to #holi and within a few minutes, I started getting massive cravings for Gujiyas! Gujiyas are deep fried pies stuffed with a sweet filling. They are like sweet empanadas. Last year for Diwali, I had made a gluten free version of gujiya which came out great! So I thought I will try to make a grain free version. I couldn’t wait and set to working immediately!
I used the same coating recipe that I had used for making grain free samosas which are in my new cookbook ‘AIP INDIAN FUSION‘ (Have you picked up a copy yet?) For the filling, I used a combination of shredded coconut, powdered walnuts and maple syrup! So yum! You can just make the filling and eat it just like that!
Some tips for making crisp Gujiyas:
- Make sure the dough is the right consistency – should not be too dry or too sticky. So add water cautiously.
- Fry the gujiyas on low heat – that results in crisp gujiyas.
Anyway here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy Holi in a special way this year!
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup powdered walnuts (omit for AIP and replace with more shredded coconut)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional; omit for AIP)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- pinch cardamom powder (omit for AIP)
- ½ cup cassava flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- About ½ cup hot water
- About 2 cups Avocado Oil or Coconut Oil for deep frying
- Mix all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir well using a spoon. Keep aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flours, salt and the oil. Add the hot water slowly using a spoon to mix it into the dough. (You may need to add a tbsp or so more of water if you see any extra dry flour). Wait for a minute until the dough is less hot and can be handled. Slowly using your hands, knead the dough till you get a smooth dough. Divide dough into 8 balls.
- Take each dough ball and roll it into about 2 inches dia circle (don't roll it too thin). Place 1 tbsp of filling on one half of the circle and slowly fold the rest half of the dough over it. gently pinch the edges together. Using the back of a spoon or a fork, seal the edges together.
- Repeat process and finish making all gujiyas this way.
- Heat the oil in a small deep frying pan on medium heat for 5 minutes or so until hot.
- Fry the gujiyas in batches of 2-3 (depending upon the size of the pan) on low heat until golden brown on both sides (about 3 minutes on each side)
[…] Gujiyas from Cook 2 Nourish *In honor of Holi – the Festival of Colors – Indira created an AIP-friendly version of one of her favorite feast foods. […]
[…] Gujiyas from Cook 2 Nourish *In honor of Holi – the Festival of Colors – Indira created an AIP-friendly version of one of her favorite feast foods. […]