Rejig traditonal gujiyas, a Holi favourite, with Chef Jaiparkash Bhatt's recipe.
The chef uses just a tablespoon of green tea powder for added flavour in his gujiyas and replaces white sugar with jaggery. His Matcha Gujiyas have a slightly bitter taste, and you may want to increase its sweetness by adding more gud.
Your gujiyas can be made in advance and stored in air-tight containers until Holi.
Chef Bhatt has 22 years experience in his field and has worked at eight hotel groups, including The Lalit Suri, the Taj and Lemon Tree. Putting together innovative festival recipes is one of his trump cards as a chef. Kokum Shrikhand, Jaggery Truffles and Matcha Modaks are some of his creations.
Matcha Gujiya
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients
- 1 cup maida or all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp matcha green tea powder
- ½ cup gud or jaggery powder
- ½ cup grated khoya or mawa or milk solids
- A few almonds, chopped
- A few pistachios, chopped
- 3 tbsp ghee
- Oil for deep frying the gujiyas
- Warm water
- Salt to taste, just a pinch
- Vark or silver foil, optional
Method
For the dough
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt with the ghee.
Add a few tbsp of warm water and begin kneading the dough.
Keep adding water and knead until it is a smooth, stiff dough.
Be careful to not add too much water or the dough will become sticky.
Cover and keep aside.
Let it rest for 30 minutes.
For the filling
- In a bowl, mix together the powdered jaggery, grated khoya, matcha powder and the chopped nuts.
Adjust the sweetness according to taste.
Assembly
- Divide the dough into small balls of about 2-cm diameter and roll each ball out into a poori.
Add 1 tbsp of the matcha-jaggery-khoya filling on one side, fold the poori to form a half-moon and press the edges together firmly to seal it.
Remember to dip your fingers in water before sealing the edges with your wet fingers.
Repeat the process with all the pooris.
You can crimp the edges with fork for a decorative touch. - Heat the oil in a deep kadhai or frying pan over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, gently ease the stuffed gujiyas into the oil in batches of 3-4, and fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
Drain and transfer onto a paper towel or tissue-lined plate.
Repeat the process with the remaining gujiyas.
Decorate with vark if you prefer.
Serve warm or store in an air-tight container.
Remember to let the gujiyas cool slightly before storing.
Chef Jaiparkash Bhatt is the executive chef at The Resort, Mumbai.
