Baked Karjikai /Stuffed Sweet Pastry

With festival season, comes a lot of delicious sweets and snacks. Karjikai is a sweet, popular in the state of Karnataka(South India). It is mostly prepared during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi(Hindu Festival of Lord Ganesh). Karjikai is a deep fried pastry, stuffed with grated coconut, lentils and jaggery for sweetness. The stuffing varies from region to region.

Here is my baked version with a filling of desiccated coconut, sugar, nuts and sultanas. The pastry is made with plain flour/ all purpose flour, fine semolina, ghee/clarified butter and water. The small piece of dough is then rolled into thin circular sheets and the filling is added in the center. The sheet is then folded into a semicircle and the edges are twisted and sealed.

Once baked, these puff up beautifully with a slight brown color and super crispy exterior. Eat them warm or cold. Once completely cooled, they can be stored in air tight container and kept for more than a week. But they are so addictive, they get over quite quickly.

Here is how I made them. Hope you enjoy the video.

Happy Baking !! 🙂

RECIPE:

Total  : 45 Mins

Prep  : 30 Mins                                           

Baking  : 25 Mins

INGREDIENTS:

For dough:

1. Plain flour – ½ Cup
2. Fine Semolina – ¼ Cup
3. Cardamom powder – ¼ Tsp
4. Ghee/Clarified Butter – 1 Tbsp
5. Water – as required to make a dough

For filling:

1. Desiccated coconut –  ¼ Cup
2. Sugar – 4 Tbsp
3. Chopped nuts – ¼ Cup
4. Chopped sultanas/ Golden raisins – 3 Tbsp

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with baking sheet.
2. For dough: Mix in ingredients 1 – 4 in a bowl. Then, add water a little at a time to form a dough. Knead slightly until smooth and cover with a damp cloth or a cling film. Set aside for 10 minutes.
3. For filling: Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
4. Take a small piece of dough, roll into a ball between your palms. On a work surface, roll it out into a circle with a rolling pin. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the center. With your fingertips or a brush, wet the edges with a little water. Fold the pastry to form a semicircle. Press the edges, twist to seal and secure the filling. Cover with a damp cloth or cling film while you make the rest.
5. Gently place them on the baking tray. Bake for 12 Mins on one side. Flip and continue to bake for another 12 minutes. Remove from oven, serve it warm or cooled.

ENJOY !