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)
They came out really good, thank you!! What’s the best way to store them?
Awesome.Air-tight container or wrapped in Al foil in the refrigerator. Warm in the oven at 350 C. Do not reheat in microwave as it will get really soggy.
Would love it if you can rate the recipe too! thank you!
[…] 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. […]